Very slow news day today. Not much happening in the usually exciting world of Maryland athletics. I expect the posts tomorrow and the weekend roundup to be rather sizable, what with the NBA camp wrapping up.
Maryland an 8 Seed in Bracketology...Really
Yeah, bracketology has already started. It's completely ridiculous to do it this early (just ask Seth Greenberg), but I love it. Terps are an 8 seed, which I believe is way too low at this point. Georgetown and Kansas State (hear that Ortho?) are both above Maryland.
Memphis Leads for Lance
Of course they lead for Lance, they're the only school still recruiting him for Christ's sake.
Memphis is the "clear-cut leader at this point," according to a source close familiar with Stephenson’s recruiting process. ... Schools are said to be leery of Stephenson because of questions surrounding his amateur status and compliance with the NCAA.
Maryland Crab Bowl rosters unveiled
The Crab Bowl is like the Army All-American game for Maryland, pitting Baltimore against Washington. The rosters were announced today, and they were kind of depressing. Maryland doesn't hold too good of a chance with a lot of guys on that list, unfortunately. Zwinak, Havenstein, Cheeseboro, and Alaeze are pretty much the only guys on the Bmore side that could conceivably be Terps.
CJ Leslie
Leslie, a top 2010 Terp target (I'm amazing at alliteration), visited Arizona State last weekend. Normally, this wouldn't be worthy of a link in a MM post, but a rumor has surfaced that CJ is visiting College Park sometime soon. The recent visit to AZSt gives some credence to that rumor - he could be making all of his visits now. Leslie would be an amazing get, IMO.
Sales sluggish in Byrd renovations
Only about half of the luxury suites in Byrd have sold so far, same for the mezzanine seats. Apparently senior associate athletic director Brian Ullman (you expected Kathy Worthington, didn't you?) said that's to be expected, but it's still pretty troubling.
With the 2009 Terrapin football season less than three months away, only 36 of the 64 luxury suites and about half of the mezzanine seats added in the ongoing Tyser Tower renovation have been sold, according to Athletics Department officials. Senior Associate Athletics Director Brian Ullmann said sales are expected to be slow at this point since construction on the tower has yet to be completed. It's hard to sell a seat that a customer cannot actually see or sit in before they purchase it, especially when the price ranges from $40,000 to $85,000, according to Ullmann.
What to watch for, from A to Z
The A to Z guide for 2010 college basketball from Dana O'Neil isn't the most interesting read, but both Lance and Greivis are part of the top 26 things to know in CBB.
L is for Lance Stephenson. Clearly many coaches aren't the win-at-all-costs, risk-taking fools we thought they were. How else to explain the still-unsigned, radioactive Stephenson? As the season nears and the pressures mount, it will be interesting to see if anyone bites or if he takes his talents across the pond.
V is Greivis Vasquez. He is a simmering cocktail of potentially disruptive emotion, but he also put up a triple-double on North Carolina. Vasquez's return means eight of Maryland's top nine scorers are back and the vultures will need to find another place to feast. Gary Williams isn't going anywhere.