Maryland Minute - 01.18.11 - Looking at Alex Len's Struggles in ACC Play

And it’s not surprising, given the suspension and everything. FSU ain’t no Cornell, they could be the 2nd best(or maybe even best) in the ACC. I think our expectations for Len went from pleasant surprise, to carrying us to the dance this year(I’m guilty of it too). I’m not giving up hope for a NCAAT bid, but I’d think it’s realistically a long shot. We shouldn’t throw Len(or Faust for that matter) into the scrap heap if they continue to struggle, as most freshmen do. Let’s look for growth signs in their games, and chalk things up to gaining experience when we’re ready to make some serious noise, next year and beyond.

This team is still learning how to play together. Learning how to win. Maturing. It’s not all about Len. We can all sit back and say Len has hit a wall, but the truth is he’s right where he needs to be for being a freshman at a D1 university in another country.

Give this team time, and the stars will eventually start to align.

I actually think that he’s played well over the last couple of games. We all expected (or should have expected) a drop off in numbers after he had a mini-warm up against low and mid major teams. Now that he is playing against high majors (on a regular basis) he has to learn to adapt. He will. Does anyone have any real doubt about that? I’m actually surprised that he has still looked good in as many games (minus the Florida State game against a hot FSU team that made UNC look silly).

Plus, he is still getting up to speed with his conditioning. I know that this was the subject of conversation in two papers, but I think it’s a non-story. Len’s suspension, limited overall playing time, conditioning, etc. all play a very real factor here. Plus, everyone is still figuring out how to get him the ball or how to play off of him. To top it off, one of his best assets (three point shooting) is currently not being showcased (I agree wholeheartedly with Turgeon’s decision to have Len focus more on play in the paint).

Give it time and I think this guy will be making some ridiculous leaps in his level of play. It may not even be this season, but by next season he may be the MVP of the team.

That said, I think Alex can help himself a lot right now by avoiding cheap fouls. A couple have resulted from frustration but he also has a tendency to reach in. He needs to keep his hands up.

Our gaurds can’t keep anyone in front on them and they cause our bigs to have to rotate out and defend someone quicker. Then the guards dish to the low man going to the basket and we are forced to foul because they are out of position.

he is NOT, i repeat NOT, a center! He is a very traditional 4 that is trust into the 5 on this team for the sole reason that he is 7-1. Of course he is going to be over matched by the likes of that guy bernard on FSU (btw, did anyone know he was in the Air Force? I dont remember if jay williams mentioned it on the broadcast. huge oversight by him). next year when he is able to play the 4, where he can play a little bit outside the paint, take some jump shots, swat some balls and not have to worry about muscling up to the biggest and strongest guys on the other team he will thrive. we better start coming up with a nickname for shaq and len bc that frontcourt is gonna be straight nasty.

BTW, anyone else see how mitch mcgary has been regressing recently? I feel like we are gonna end up being happy we have len at the 4 instead of him in the next few years

This game could give him some well deserved confidence. He’s several inches taller than Temple’s big men, and hopefully he can get a handle on the ball, score some points and get some good rebounds and blocks. I think if he blocks a few of Temple’s close shots in the lane, he could turn the game for us.

Turge has said that Len is a pretty sensitive guy, so lacks confidence at this point. Doesn’t sound like much of a stretch for someone who’s young, just getting used to the country/college life and new rules to the game. The Temple game could help his confidence a little, but honestly even if he doesn’t have a breakout game I’m still not throwing him under the bus. I think we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from him (and Faust, etc.) next year by the end of the season.