BlogsMaryland Minute 7.3.09 - Gary's Fistpump Explained, Roscoe Smith Likes Duke?
by bbroman
on Jul 3, 2009 9:40 PM EDT
in Maryland Minute
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Gary Explains His Fistpump
Steinberg has been coming up huge with the Maryland news lately. I love it.
Then he got to Maryland, and the vibe required something stronger. Len Bias had died. Sanctions were coming, and soon the Terps couldn't appear on television or play in the NCAA tournament. Williams wanted a way to say thanks to the 7,369 fans who still showed up for his first game, an 87-53 win over Delaware State at Cole Field House.
"Walking into Cole and seeing a pretty good crowd even though we had those restrictions meant a lot to me," Williams said. The fist pump "was just to show them. So once you start something like, that it would be difficult to stop."
Roscoe Smith interested in Duke?
It's from a Duke writer and only a teaser, but it's probably legit anyway.
Baltimore (Md.) five-star forward Roscoe Smith began hearing from Duke last summer and since that time the Blue Devils' interest has increased incrementally. As of late, Smith has seen himself go from a player being evaluated by Duke to a heavily pursued prospect. Now, the 6-foot-8, 200 pound wing is returning the interest by placing the Devils high on his list.
Duke scares me. Until recently, I don't remember them as a major player in Roscoe's recruitment. They don't scare me as much as UNC did, but if this is legit, they came on really quickly, which usually isn't a good sign.
Check out the rest of the MM below the jump.
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Question: Matt Pilgrim or Save the Scholarship for 2010?
by bbroman
on Jul 3, 2009 4:25 PM EDT
in Basketball Recruiting
6 comments
I believe the answer to this question will be rather one-sided, but I'm interested to see it regardless, but there has to be some debate about it. As you probably know by now, the Terps are hot after Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim, and are supposedly looking good. I believe he still needs to visit OK State and possibly Cincinnati, but Maryland has a legit chance with the 6'9" big man.
To learn everything you need to about Pilgrim, check out our previous post here.
Now, I have no doubt the staff already gave him the scholarship offer, so this isn't up for debate - it's a purely hypothetical issue. But, since everyone loves picking a side, it's time to pick now.
First, why take Pilgrim? Well, he's a big body who's ready to contribute right away, for one, which is something Maryland seriously lacks. Sure, the Terps have Jordan Williams and James Padgett coming in, but it's rare for a high 3 star big man to come in and make an impact in the ACC. Pilgrim could provide the perfect amount of buffer for the duo to get acclimated to the ACC. Not to mention, he's actually a very good player who (supposedly) would've started for Kentucky had he not had to sit for his transfer. He could cement Maryland's status as a top 4 ACC team, and vault them from fringe top 25 to securely top 20. Not to mention, he could have a very positive effect on recruiting - tweeners like Terrence Jones and CJ Leslie could see this as confirmation that they won't be stuck in the post the entire time.
Of course, there are negatives: it takes a scholarship away from that stacked 2010 recruiting, in which the Terps are looking pretty good. That may not matter if Steve Goins ends up transferring out again or if Jerome Burney gets hurt again, but it does minimize the impact that class could make. There's also the issue of the possibility that he doesn't get a waiver from the NCAA - he is presumed to get one, because he was forced out of a scholarship - and ends up having to sit out another year, a la Gus Gilchrist, which would be a major downer. Then there's the issue of possibly overrating Pilgrim - he averaged 10 points at Hampton before the Kentucky transfer, where he didn't play a minute due to the sitting-out requirement. Just how good is he, and how much of him is hype?
Choose carefully:
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Maryland Minute 7.2.09 - Gary Williams Interviews Tiger
by bbroman
on Jul 3, 2009 12:11 AM EDT
in Maryland Minute
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Trying something new today...we're gonna use the jump. Trying to keep the front page nice and clean. Check out the full MM after the jump.
Gary Interviews Tiger Woods (With Assistance from Chick Hernandez)
Quick, someone queue up the standard "OMG Gary's not recruiting he's golfing" complaint in 3...2...1... Anyway, at least Gary's putting his sick golfing skills to use. Watch part two of the interview here.
Bog: NYC Fans to UMD Grad Fred Funk: "Funk You"
The only reason I have this here because this is probably the only time the lead story in the MM will involve golf, and guaranteed the only time the MM will contain two golf stories. Thus, it makes the headline fit better with the actual article.
I have trouble imagining a golf fan saying this, but that's what it is:
"Here, I hear 'Fear the Turtle!', and 'Go Fred!' and all that other stuff," Funk said. "And up at Bethpage, I hear, 'Hey, Funk you!' it's a little difference in the crowd. New York, D.C., they're not the same."
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"Oh yeah, absolutely," he said. "I heard it about 9,000 times. I hear it some other places, but in New York they were really going at it--'Hey, Funk You!' and then there's, 'Hey, you Funked up!' "
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BA: Erik Bakich Discusses Terp Baseball Recovery Plan
by bbroman
on Jul 2, 2009 11:52 PM EDT
in Other Maryland Athletics
3 comments
Maryland baseball has been lackluster (that's putting it euphemistically) the past few years. Head coach Terry Rupp was one of the many problems associated with the program - those problems include facilities, fan interest, athletic department support, and (according to some) weather. Recently, that problem was possibly rectified with Rupp's dismissal and the hire of young, tireless Vanderbilt assistant Erik Bakich as head coach.
Now that there's new blood in the system, I'm trying to make it a priority to at least keep up with Maryland baseball during the spring. After basketball's over, what else do we have to do? I enjoy baseball, and until the O's pitching gets up and hitting develops (outside of Markickass and AJ, of course), my pro team isn't exactly fun to watch. Might as well follow the Terps. This being the case, I was intrigued to see exactly how Bakich intended to solve the program's woes. His answers were surprisingly good.
Via Baseball America:
On facilities: From a facilities standpoint, I think it’s a situation where if you improve your team, improve the consistency and quality of play, then you can increase the fan interest. You’ve got to connect with alumni in the Mid-Atlantic, then it’s a situation like Vanderbilt all over again, because we didn’t have a strong fan base in 2002 and 2003. But people enjoyed seeing the energy, the kids sprinting on and off the field. We’ve got to instill that hard-nosed, aggressive, blue-collar brand of baseball, creating an identity. We’ve got to get these players to play with an edge, play with confidence. On recruiting:
I looked at the roster, and I saw that there were a lot of good players in the state and Northern Virginia who weren’t going to the University of Maryland. And they weren’t using the Northeast—they had one player on their roster from Northeast. For sure, that’s a great geographic area to jump into. But the most important area is your own state; you’ve got to take care of your own state. We’ve got to get some border control out there. There are some good players from Maryland playing elsewhere in the ACC and the SEC, and that’s unacceptable. We’ve got do to a better job getting the best players to stay home. On his first assistant hire (that would be Dan Burton, who is the new recruiting coordinator):
Tim Corbin hired me at a young age because I was a tireless worker, and Dan Burton is cut from the same cloth. He’s full of energy, turbo-charged. He’ll hit the recruiting trail, attack that thing and find some players. On building the program up:
It’s like at Vanderbilt when we had to sell a vision, and we had to talk about what we’re going to do, not what we’ve done. Who doesn’t want to be part of a turnaround? Who doesn’t want to go in and build something? That fires me up. Mr. Bakich, you've sold me. His answers were well-thought out and sensible. I have full faith that this guy can lead a turnaround of the program. Then again, I know nothing about college baseball, so perhaps I'm not the guy to be asking. If he's correct that Vandy was in a similar spot and he helped that turnaround, then I'm encouraged: Vandy won the SEC in 2007 and consistently has top 10 recruiting classes. How do feel about Bakich's hire? Does this at all change your opinion about Maryland baseball? Will you try to follow more in the spring?
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Gary Williams Lashes Out Against Cheating Basketball Coaches...Again
by bbroman
on Jul 2, 2009 11:09 AM EDT
in Basketball
4 comments
By now I'm sure you know that Gary Williams doesn't like cheating basketball coaches, and with good reason. He's made this clear, time and again. He's been hassled by fans for losing recruits to coaches who cheat, to the point where some wondered if his job was in jeopardy last year. There's no way he could ever cheat, of course - when he took over the program, Maryland was under probation for exactly that, and he was told to keep a clean program. He's always made it clear that he doesn't cheat, and doesn't like people that do.
He reasserted this view yesterday on the Sports Reporters. [via Bog] [lots of quotes]
We recruit 'em ['em being one-and-doners], but whenever we do we get yelled at for recruiting 'em. You know, I got yelled at for not cheating this year. It's unbelievable. They were yelling at me because I wouldn't cheat.
...
But I mean, that's where it is. I've been in it a while now, I guess 31 years as a head coach, and there's a lot more cheating going on right now than I've ever seen before.
...
The penalty that the Alabama football team got, for instance; they have to forfeit games, ok? And they get probation for three years or whatever it is. That has nothing to do with what you're gonna do this year. You can go to bowl games, you can play on TV. When we got our sanctions in 1990 we could not play on live television, we could not to go to the NCAA tournament for two years, we lost three scholarships and we had to give back a ton of money. And so basically they took the legs out of our program, because you can't recruit players to the ACC without television, NCAA Tournament hopes, things like that.
...
I'm a little concerned. I don't want to sound like the old head, like things aren't the way they used to be, but something has got to be done. Because you look at the teams this year that were very successful, a couple of them have been outed for what they did. And next year, when it comes time for college basketball to start again, they'll talk about certain coaches as being great recruiters that I know cheat, you know. And I could be a great recruiter if I was giving kids money, or if I was changing grades on a kid, I'd be a great recruiter, but that's where it is right now.
...
You look at the Reggie Bush situation at Southern Cal, and then the Tim Floyd situation. That thing's been three years, with Reggie Bush. They have people saying they got all this money and all these things. Well that hasn't been resolved. I mean, that is still out there. And let's face it, ABC needs Southern Cal on Saturday afternoon in the fall. I remember the Clarett situation with Ohio State a few years ago, that just kind of went away because Ohio State draws big numbers when they play. There's a lot of finances involved with the NCAA; in other words, they have a big operating budget. A school like the university of Maryland has 27 sports that someone has to pay for, so they're very reluctant to go after what generates the money.
Gary loves being defensive, doesn't he? Always back against the wall, even when his back isn't really against the wall.
That aside, I agree with the man. The NCAA is in a shambles right now. No legitimate penalties are handed out anymore. What's going on with UCONN? Memphis? USC? Florida State? Have any of those schools received any legitimate penalties? Does it look like they will? The investigations for UCONN and USC have been going on for forever with nothing handed down yet. While he starts to sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist - "ABC needs Southern Cal on Saturday afternoon" and "they're very reluctant to go after what generates the money" - his premise is correct.
Yet again, Gary hits the nail on the head.
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Friedgen on ESPN Yesterday
by homertuck
on Jul 2, 2009 9:19 AM EDT
1 comment
The Fridge was on ESPN News yesterday as part of their 50 State preview of College Football. Apparently he's lost close to 100 lbs. He looks really good. I honestly think this recent "I might want to coach longer than I thought" thing has a lot to do with his recent weight loss. He talks about MD football, past and present and it's a nice little video to watch if you've got 2-3 minutes. Check out the difference from the photo above and from him in the video below.
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Maryland Minute 7.1.09 - Ralph Friedgen Contemplating Longer Stay as Head Coach
by bbroman
on Jul 1, 2009 10:26 PM EDT
in Maryland Minute
4 comments
Fridge may be around for a long time
We went and gave James Franklin that big "Head Coach in Waiting" title, but it may not mean much.
University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen says he might want to remain in his post for up to five more years if the team is performing well - a move that could complicate the school's coaching succession plan.
Uh, yeah, that's not happening, even if it is fun to talk about. At least, not according to Debbie Yow.
"We don't intend to ever pay the million dollars. Things are going to be good," Yow said.
...
"That would have to be a conversation Ralph and James had, where James deferred the opportunity for two more years," Yow said. "That's what would have to happen because I don't have a million dollars to give James."
Whether that means we're going to get creative or she'll force Fridge out is unknown right now, but I hope it's the former. Also, does she have to say the athletic department is broke? Can't we put that in a euphemism or something?
More on Fridge's Possible Stay
Not a lot more than what was in the article, but just a few clarifiers.
Terp Commit Robinson talks Terps commitment
I really want to believe this guy will be a productive college player, I really do...but I'm having some trouble right now.
With offers from Fordham, James Madison, Massachusetts, Old Dominion and Stony Brook, it’s safe to say Robinson floated under the radar of most college football recruiters.
"I told Matt, ‘Maryland knows you better than any school in the country.’ ... The more they saw him, the more they liked him. ... He makes plays, he’s got excellent ball skills for a guy his age and he’s a smart player. Matt’s going to be a productive player. There’s no doubt in my mind."
Gary Recommends Booing Tony Romo
I love Gary Williams. And I love him even more that he encouraged people to boo Tony Romo at the Pro Am for Tiger's tourney in Bethesda on Wednesday. I'm a Ravens fan, but I still hate me some Tony Romo [ed's note: so do the other Redskin fans on the staff]... "There are certain standards in golf, and certain standards at Congressional Country Club. You don't wear your baseball hat backwards. You don't wear cargo shorts. You don't yell at golfers mid-swing, and you sure as heck don't boo. Wednesday morning will put those standards to a severe test..."
New 2011 Scout Top 75
Notable Terp targets:
#14 - Michael Gbinije
#25 - CJ Barksdale
#29 - Jordan Goodman
#30 - Trevor Cooney
#32 - Quinn Cook (that's just terrible)
#37 - Jabari Brown
#39 - Mikael Hopkins
Rivals Updated Theirs, Too
Not to be outdone by their main competitor, Rivals updated their top 2011 rankings today too.
Notable Terp targets:
#22 Jabari Brown
#29 Michael Gbinije
#34 Quinn Cook (even worse)
#38 Mikael Hopkins
#49 Jordan Goodman
#50 CJ Barksdale
#78 Trevor Cooney
#80 Grandy Glaze
Mike DeCourcy's Take on Lance Stephenson
Pretty much agreed.
From a basketball perspective, I do believe Stephenson wants to be successful and will come to understand being a good teammate is part of that package. College basketball always has been uniquely suited to training players in that regard, and Mick Cronin will do an effective job in making Stephenson part of something bigger than himself.
...
Obviously, that includes O.J. Mayo, who was cleared to attend Southern California. Former sportswriter Louis Johnson subsequently charged Mayo had received benefits before he enrolled in college—which means USC probably would have been in trouble even if nothing untoward had occurred while he was enrolled in school. That'd be the one worry for Cincinnati—it's almost like double-jeopardy.
Gary Parrish Overviews the Hilarious Henry Situation
Like I said yesterday - the Henrys > the Stephensons.
The week started with Carl Henry telling the Kansas City Star that his older son, C.J. Henry, is just as good as future Kansas teammate Sherron Collins even though C.J. hasn't played organized basketball in four years and despite the fact that he has never been considered an elite prospect. Carl added that both his sons plan to be one-and-done prospects and hinted that the reason Xavier isn't already at Kansas is because he doesn't want to go to class. Then the proud papa told a Kansas City radio station Tuesday that both his sons -- C.J. Henry and McDonald's All-American Xavier Henry -- might actually choose to enroll at Kentucky instead of Kansas because that's what Xavier wanted to do all along.
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Goodman: Be Happy the Bad Guy is Back
Yes, it is beginning to appear that Greivis Vasquez is challenging for the title of the most hated player in college basketball. Or, at least college basketball writers are trying to turn him into such. Personally, I couldn't be happier. It's nice to have the "us against the world" mentality, especially with Gary as coach.
Plus, this is the last year before the Terrence Ross era, and I have a feeling he'll be the guy that everybody loves.
But back to the article - Greivis guaranteed an ACC title. I'll take that.
2 days ago
bbroman
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