Rating Alex Len's debut
by HughGR on Dec 29, 2011 8:38 AM EST
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PrintKeeping it simple - to the GW (& MT) era, it was the most impressive debut for a MD big imho since Joe Smith.
Am trying to think of a big who had such an immediate, positive impact in their first game. The turnovers make me rate it behind Joe Smith's, and Joe Smith's success was completely unanticipated whereas OL's was eagerly anticipated (by me at least). One big who had a similar sort of debut that I recall was Jamar Smith. Am trying to recall the debuts of Osby, JW, Ekezie, and a host of others.
Brian Williams (who was before GW) had a similar sort of debut for the Terps back in the day.
r-hgr
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And to be fair
Joe Smith debuted against Georgetown under JTII – still the biggest team in town and I believe ranked at the time. Moreover, they had a sure-fire 1st round big in Othella Harrington. Not sure that Albany is a fair comparison. Nonetheless, still a very impressive first game for OL.
Joe Smith had 26 in his debut...
I’m not a statistician, and I don’t have a good recollection of the opening night performances of Maryland’s bigs throughout history, but I’d be surprised if nobody else (since Smith) has topped Len’s debut.
Len’s debut was impressive, no doubt, but not even in the same league with Smith’s debut against a much tougher opponent.
Go Terps!
by VCTerp on Dec 29, 2011 8:55 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I didn't look closely at the game thread predictions
for Len’s points, rebounds and minutes, but his combination of 22 (14 pts + 8 rebs) exceeded everyone’s expectation, and his 27 minutes were more than most expected.
I think Joe Smith’s debut was slightly better than Len’s if for no other reason because it really was unexpected. But one can attribute that to the internet and social media.
Not sure about that.
I put 12 points, 8 rebounds. I was halfway through in the predictions, and they got more confident towards the end.
Lonnie Baxter
looked like a total spaz his whole freshman year, even on the day he broke Gary Williams’ record for shooting percentage in a game. And that one guy predicted 102 points for Len, so he didn’t meet his expectation.
Alex Len: The Man, The Legend
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post?id=43010
and lets go to Bentleys...
doesn’t really say anything but I thought it was cool he is getting some national pub
and lets go to Bentleys...
by johnnyrobs13 on Dec 29, 2011 9:28 AM EST up reply actions
It's a tough call
I think ultimately you have to rate Smith’s better due to competition.
But, the one mitigating factor is that Len is making his debut against a team that had played 12 games this year. Albany is in no way shape or form anything close to the Hoyas the year of Smith’s debut. But they are a group that has more games under its belt when the debut was made.
And I think you can argue that Smith’s team at the time was better than this Terps team.
other notable big men debuts (dont sleep on Jwill)
Mardesich: 5 pts on 67% shooting; 2 reb, 1 ast.
Osby: 9 pts on 67% shooting, 2 reb, 2 ast.
Gist: 5 pts on 67% shooting, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 blocks.
Baxter: 3 pts on 50% shooting, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl.
JWilliams: 12 pts on 56% shooting, 9 reb.
Ekezie: 6 pts on 28% shooting, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 block.
Dino: 0 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 block.
Wilcox: 7 pts on 67% shooting, 3 reb
by Fushezzi on Dec 29, 2011 10:22 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Nice Fushezzi
JW was highly anticipated as well. I also recall (w/o #s to back me up) that he steadily raised those #s during his first season until the streak of dub0dubs his second season. Where did you pull these from?
r-hgr
check out the "Terrapin stats" on the left side of TT - has it all
great reference when looking back on players and specific games. When reminiscing, makes us remember all players actually missed shots – lol
"A new era has dawned in Maryland Athletics..."
by bball purist on Dec 29, 2011 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
JW wasnt anticipated
in fact, Padge was supposed to be the bigger name in that class. Jwill was just a chubby, undersized center from middle of nowhere CT. It was that game vs Nova that he really burst onto the scene
Potential
I think it’s clear that J-Will and Smith started their college careers a lot closer to what they’d ultimately become than Len did. That’s what made last night so exciting to me. You can see Len’s ceiling is, well, the sky. Put some muscle on him and let him adapt to the American game and you have a legitimate monster imo. Can’t wait to see him develop!
by LeftCoastTerp on Dec 29, 2011 12:31 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
You are right.
Clearly, the guy has a deft touch and great hands. His decision making will improve as gains experience and the turnovers will likely be reduced. He is the sort of kid whose existing flaws are coachable. The potential is undeniable, but maybe I’m biased having watched Dirk win the championship. I can’t get over the fact that we have a legit 7-footer who can move, shoot, and catch.
completely off topic but does anyone know
If the last time the Terps were rankes was when Michigan St eliminated us in the second round of the tourney? Pretty sure we were never ranked last year and I think we’ll finish this year on the bubble of the top 25.
by Keith Pivonski on Dec 29, 2011 12:22 PM EST reply actions
We were a 4 seed
which i remember being surprised to be seeded that high. So I would guess we were ranked around 19 or 20.
and lets go to Bentleys...
by johnnyrobs13 on Dec 29, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
we were 4 and izzo was 5
so it was nice seeding but an awful 2nd round matchup
by nathan.w.ford on Dec 29, 2011 2:24 PM EST up reply actions
Sadly
I don’t think we sniff the top 25 this year. Every other team is rounding into mid-season form and we’re just now adjusting to two main cogs in, what is expected to be, a subpar ACC team anyway.
Future is looking bright though. Shaq, Len, Pankey, Padgett – all down low next year? Solid.
this might be a topic worthy of its own fanpost
But I’m too lazy to write “go terps” enough times to get there. How much does JP’s production drop when we hit ACC play? I love the strides he’s made this year, but we have to keep in mind we’re not playing top quality bigs yet. Is he a servicable ACC starter at this point?
by LeftCoastTerp on Dec 29, 2011 5:34 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
Here you go...
http://statsheet.com/mcb/rankings/AP?id=2010-03-01
Though studies have been done, an understanding of the younger generation has been elusive. This is what we do know:
They like Comedy Central.
They like sports.
They like beer.
In fact, they like to be entertained, period. But on the other hand...
They have never produced anything.
They have never paid income taxes.
They have always been dependent on others for their existence...and yet...
They somehow think they know everything.
While more study is recommended, the outlook looks very bleak that an understanding of this generation will be arrived at any time in the near future.
by CharlesDriesell on Dec 29, 2011 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
chucky making an appearance
you’ve been laying low, but good to see some facts based stuff.
"A new era has dawned in Maryland Athletics..."
by bball purist on Dec 31, 2011 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
As opposed to the fantasy...
based stuff? LOL
Been real busy.
Though studies have been done, an understanding of the younger generation has been elusive. This is what we do know:
They like Comedy Central.
They like sports.
They like beer.
In fact, they like to be entertained, period. But on the other hand...
They have never produced anything.
They have never paid income taxes.
They have always been dependent on others for their existence...and yet...
They somehow think they know everything.
While more study is recommended, the outlook looks very bleak that an understanding of this generation will be arrived at any time in the near future.
by CharlesDriesell on Jan 4, 2012 6:56 AM EST up reply actions
we were 20th in the Final poll that year
"A new era has dawned in Maryland Athletics..."
by bball purist on Dec 31, 2011 10:59 AM EST up reply actions
Haven't been ranked since 2009-10
Ranked 20th at the end of that season.
Before getting too excited about Len v. Smith,
keep in mind Smith was College Player of the Year in 1995 (as a sophomore) and No. 1 pick in the NBA draft the same year. So, for Len, the bar is set pretty high.
If we continue to improve,
by February, CC will be the place the better ACC teams won’t want to play.
by curterp on Dec 29, 2011 2:07 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Len was a pleasant surprise to me
Having never seen him practice, he’s going to get better fast. Remember, Chris Wilcox didn’t even start until his last year here.
Jamar Smith started off strong, but I believe he was a JUCO.
I think Len will be better than most players listed by Fushezzi.
Alex will become much better when he lives, eats and studies in the weight room. Imagine Len with a Wilcox body? Oh yeah!!
And in terms of anticipation...
I anticipate Shaq’s debut next year to be far more impressive.
What are our chances of beating UK next season?
Now that we know Len is legit. Pankey and Padgett will have another year. Shaq is coming in. Our front court looks menacing.
Optimism apparently has no limits.
Len may be the second coming, but off one game against a rather nondescript team it’s impossible to tell. Wait ’til after the Duke and UNC games to get a better read.
Albany was non-descript compared to ACC competition,
but was probably the best of the “cupcake” teams we’ve played thus far. Had we played Albany w/out Len, it would have been MUCH closer, and we quite possibly would have lost.
You’re right in that only time will tell how he’ll do against stiffer competition, but there’s definitely cause for greater optimism with him than without him.
Len
Looked great. Only concern is that against other big men, he will need to bang in the post, which doesn’t seem to be his forte. However, being a 7 foot wing, isn’t bad either
He needs to hit the weights
during the off-season. Add 15 pounds, and he’ll be a BEAST!!
7’1", 240 will be tough to stop.
I think Len's impact
was in some ways more of a psychological lift for the fans. It was a solid performance and shows a lot of potential. I like the way he runs the floor and I think Turge and staff will find ways to make him better. I think he’ll get bumped around a bit in the ACC and we’ll have to wait to see how he handles that. But overall, I’m psyched.
Slug if you read this, missed you at the WBB game last night.
FHFAN
I was there but the logistics were much more challenging than I had imagined. I arrived at 5:30 which would have been very early for a single game but not so much for the tournament. I sat as close as I could to where the bicycle had been placed in the past but still I was buried in the crowd. I could meet you before the game on Saturday at a definite time and place if you want the ticket
Thanks
In case you missed my post on your other thread, I have a family emergency and am not currently in the DC metro area. I don’t think I’ll be back in time tomorrow. Would have loved it.
Good luck FHFAN, hope everything is OK.
by Darrell Green Fan on Dec 31, 2011 7:11 AM EST reply actions
Thank you DGF
Just at the point where to some degree I’ve become the parent of my father. I appreciate your good wishes. Happy New year to all. Nice win to close out 2011. I was able to see the second half and the highlight of the Len dunk in the first half. The game wasn’t as close as the score.
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