Maryland's Greatest Need in the 2012 Class
by curterp on Feb 2, 2012 10:57 AM EST
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PrintThere seems to be two prevailing opinions as to where the Terps need the most help entering the 2012-2013 basketball season. For the sake of argument, I'll add a third, and I wanted to take a somewhat more realistic approach, as opposed to a "pie-in-the-sky" look.
The first area is point guard. The general concensus is we need a point guard...soon. Are there any players that we've been working on in the 2012 class who could fill that role? I can't think of any. And it's clear Turge is going after several highly-rated PGs in 2013 (Andrew Harrison - of "the twins" fame - and Rysheed Jordan to name just two).
Sniper/secondary scoring option is another area of concern. Marco Bourgault, the sophomore JUCO player has been mentioned several time on this board, and there is always hope that Jake Layman or Seth Allen will be able to help in that area.
The third area is help inside. Having Shaq on board will be a big help (no pun intended), but is there enough depth with Len, Pankey, Padgett and Cleare being the only options? Will we be too vulnerable down low if one of those four gets hurt? We, apparently, are still in the running for Charles Mitchell, and Philip Nolan is still on the board, although there is some doubt we're still considering him.
Assuming Turge only wants one more player to round out the 2012 class - and keeping in mind who is still available - where do you think Turge should spend that last scholarship? Remember, Turge said he doesn't want to bring in any "stiffs".
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I honestly think Pe'shon is going to be a really good PG, he's still got two years to improve
by Maryland1206 on Feb 2, 2012 11:18 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I don't
I hope Allen is good enough to start over him even though he’s a combo guard. I really don’t think there’s going to be any improvement with Pe and I hope we get a replacement fast. Love the guy, but he turns the ball over WAY too much without doing much else.
I think Pe' has potential too
The kid is only in his second year, and had to come off a foot injury. I believe that he can turn it around. I do wonder, though… what in the world was he thinking when he was dribbling the ball up the court on that last possession. Not that we were going to win, but you have to know that you need to sprint up and pop a 3 fast.
by mdmadness on Feb 2, 2012 1:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Unfortunately I agree
Pe’ has great swag but lets be honest – he stinks as a point guard. Too many turnovers, doesn’t get offense going, is not a defensive stopper and takes terrible shots. Would be fine coming off bench as both a 1 and a 2 but starting point guard in the ACC – no way.
He's just a sophomore
I’m not ready to throw Pe’s entire career under the bus yet, but he just is not providing what we need now.
Someone else mentioned in an earlier thread that Pe’ looks like someone that’s searching for a new identity even those he should already know his role on the team, and I have to agree. I’m getting the impression that Turge has told him that a PG can’t be one-dimensional and has to be able to produce points as well. Honestly, I just wish he’d get back to his pass-first mentality when he didn’t care if he got his own shot off at all. 0-0 FG, 7/2 A/TO from him and I’m a happy man.
That being said, while he’ll improve with time I wouldn’t be opposed to recruiting over him. It’s got to be a top 50 true PG though, no combos and no top 100.
Given that there are better options on the table for PG in the ‘13 class, my choice for this year is either a big man or even just let the scholly ride. A good scorer might be good, but like Turge said I don’t think we need to settle for just a warm body.
I think he can be...
a servicable point guard, with improvement. But we are hoping for better than servacible.
The team at the moment, is what it is. To coin a phrase made famous by Gary Williams.
Children should be seen and not heard.
by CharlesDriesell on Feb 2, 2012 4:18 PM EST up reply actions
I think the first two options are much more important than the last one
I’d take Bourgault just to stretch the defense. But truth be told, I most want a PG. Problem is, there are none of them.
Really, though, let’s just go steal Olivier Hanlan. That guy looks awesome.
How set is James Robinson on Pitt?
Dematha kid should stay in state in my opinion
I know Nat'l signing day was yesterday
but there was a time when bball recuit’s verbal meant they’re prolly 99% actually going to sign there. It’s about 90% for top recruits now, but used to be higher – still much higher than football anyway. And bball verbals usually mean “hands off” in the unwritten code.
"A new era has dawned in Maryland Athletics..."
by bball purist on Feb 2, 2012 12:21 PM EST up reply actions
Hands off except for Pay Pal Cal and Pitino, and Jay Wright also
These are very underhanded coaches, but have other people do their dirty work to keep their record clean.
Does the name Paypal Cal also apply to Jim Calhoun?
Because if it wasn’t intended to be ambiguous, it should have been.
He was considering us early on
but then the trail went cold. I believe we were out of his final 3-5, while UVA was definitely competing with Pitt for his services.
if thats the case
Jake Layman should be recruiting him HARD
Sniper
I’m tired of teams raining three’s agains us. I want to return the favor. Plus, I feel Len and/or Cleare are going to demand double teams next year and we need someone who can punish teams who double.
by ChucktownTerpFan on Feb 2, 2012 12:11 PM EST reply actions
Point guard absolutely!!
Peshon is a good backup ACC PG….He’s not a starter, he doesn’t have the athleticism to keep quicker defenders, his shooting has been lacking, and he throws away as many passes as he makes. we need a PG that’s a 3-pt threat and is athletic enough to defend some of the good PG’s in the ACC and one that cna distribute as well….I know this will be hard to find.
I don’t know about Seth Allen, but he also doesn’t seem like a true point as well.
Secondary scoring will come. One of Faust, Len, Cleare, Allen, Layman will emerge as a consistent seocnd scoring option IMO…I see a lot of promise in Faust if he works on his jump shot
I wish we could have gotten
Kabango… he would have looked good in a md uni
by MurlandTerps on Feb 2, 2012 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
Pe' is being criticized for his TOs, lack of assists, shooting
and court decisions. But look at his numbers from last season: his a:to ratio was nearly 2:1; he averaged roughly 3 assists per game (one every six minutes); hit 42% from the floor and 36% from beyond the arc as a freshman. This season, his a:to ratio is 5:4; with roughly 4 assists per game (one assist every seven minutes); he’s hitting 37% of his FGs and 22% of his 3s.
Last season, he had Jordan Williams, who caught nearly everything thrown to him and made many of the shots he took compared to Padge, Len and Pankey. Last year, he was healthy throughout the entire season. And last year he had at least two significant scoring threats (JWill and Stogs), compared to one this season.
Assuming Shaq is the scoring threat we hope he is, and assuming Layman can provide us with some scoring punch from deep, it’s entirely possible Pe’ will be just fine. Has he made poor decisions this year? Yes. But how much of that is a result of our lack of a second or third scoring option, or the lack of a significant threat down low? And how much of it is just rust resulting from getting such a late start after this injury?
I recall in pre-season, many on this board were singing his praises. How quickly things change!
Possibly the best assessment of Pe's situation posted on TT yet
Losing JW probably cost Pe about 3 assists every game and results in ~2 incremental turnovers. Just estimates of course, but Pe is a guy MT really wanted at A&M and recruited hard.
We could still use an effective back-up PG which NF could develop into – a la Drew Nicholas. Emphasis on “could.”
r-hgr
big athletic 4.
chris wilcox/james gist/jakarr sampson(!) type player….. not len/pankey etc. we need someone who will have instant offensive impact
I think after last nights performance
there is no way you can’t say true point guard. Since we already have Layman signed who is supposed to have a 3 point touch, and Allen is more of a scorer than passer, I’d grade true point guard higher than sniper at this point. I’d probably put it in the order of 1,2,3 on your list of priorities. Cleare is a mass in the paint with supposedly soft hands, Len with a year of experience and (I HOPE) stronger hands next year, with padgett/pankey probably puts interior depth last on the list.
Everyone is in a rush for this team to succeed
I agree that adding big men should be our last priority. This is a young team that needs a year or two to reach its full potential. Please don’t demand more post players when we have Len, Pankey, Cleare, and a good workhorse in Padgett. Len needs time. Pankey needs time. And Shaq hasn’t even stepped foot on our court. In two years, I suspect those three will wreak havoc down low.
And before anyone complains about Pankey, the kid hasn’t played in two years. He’ll find his way.
Say we had a true shooter or a beast on the low block
Would Pe’Shon look much more like a true point guard? It would certainly make his job easier.
How hard is it to be a true point guard on a team with 1 scoring option?
Interesting point, ivan,
and one I hadn’t heard before. A great QB in football is only as good as his supporting cast. The same should apply to a PG in basketball. If a QB only has one receiver who can catch the ball consistently, one running back who is worth a damn, and a poor O-line, it makes it MUCH more difficult (virtually impossible) for that QB to succeed.
Pe could pass the ball all day long, but if the player catching the pass (assuming he catches it) can’t make the shot, his a:to ratio is going to suck!!
good call on the "assuming he catches it"
Agree too, there is only so much he can do when the player catching it isn’t going to shoot right away…or can’t make the shot. Stoglin, besides those 3s he was draining last night coming around the screen, has been creating his own shots mostly. He can catch and shoot, but for the most part you can tell he’d rather create his own shot then be a pop and shoot player.
I'm not surprised
most people seem to want a PG over the other two options. But there don’t seem to be any PGs on our radar for 2012. That being the case, I’d be happy with one of our other needs being filled. And since we have Layman and Allen coming in, both of whom are supposed to be able shoot from deep, it makes sense, IMO, to get a solid inside player (and there are still several available) to provide quality depth down low.
That being said, I won’t be terribly upset if we can pick up a sniper or get lucky with a quality JUCO PG.
PG
I love P’s attitude like everyone else, but geez, the guy makes stupid decisions with the ball, takes bad shots, and consistently gets beat off the dribble. None of those have anything to do with not having other shooter options or missing games due to the injury. Those are fundamental PG issues. He’s a secondary PG option, IMO.
Our other scoring option is going to be either Parker or Faust
Start feeding them more. Have Stogs pass to them after he drives the lane and 4 defenders collapse on him. Experiment a little each game. Alternate go-to guys to see who’s hot. It certainly wasn’t Mosley last night.
I still have hope for Pe' to improve, especially because of how well he played last year
I just wish we could see how he was if he hadn’t gotten injured, cause it’s been hard for him to get back into the swing of things. I believe last year he had like the highest 3 point % on the team. I love his heart, dedication and swag though. It needs to translate to the court. I have hope for him, but i understand that another PG may be necessary.
But at the same time, we need another scoring option. I think that is VERY important as well. i love Mosley to death, but his scoring is so inconsistent. one game he hits 15 points, next game he gets like 5 points. Same with Padgett and Pankey. It’s obvious teams know the way to stop us is to stop stoglin, and when he’s not hot, who else is gunna score? Faust has potential, but just isn’t there yet. I haven’t seen enough of Parker to decide if he could fill that role or not.
NO need to go crazy
about filling needs that are already in development. turgeon isn’t set by any means but they’re not performing well as a unit. failing to score 84 points a night after 5 missed layups, and +10 missed free throws per game isn’t a testament to needing players. it’s not because the current ones can’t… it’s just that the current ones aren’t. if you’re thinking that michael parker DOESN’T have the ability to average 10 points per game at some point in his career then you’re crazy. and if faust has reached his plateau as a shooter/scorer then you aren’t evaluating the game correctly.
layman has the chance to be scary good along with cleare from day 1. the 2012 team should see a serious 360. those needs get filled in 2012.
I, and I suspect most people, aren't saying we don't need a PG, but
the bottom line, IMO, is there aren’t any quality PGs still available for 2012 worthy of a Terps scholly, and Turge has several 5-star quality PG prospects in mind in 2013. Given that, it makes no sense to me to go with a lower-quality PG and pass on a better/high quality sniper or big.
by curterp on Feb 2, 2012 6:09 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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