Maryland Minute 7.13.09 - Terrence Jones vs. Tobias Harris at Nike Peach Jam

Dream Battle: Terrence Jones vs. Tobias Harris
With the news that Maryland isn't (officially) out of the Tobias Harris race (check after the jump), the matchup between Harris's Albany City Rocks and Jones' I-5 Elite at Nike Peach Jam took on new meaning. It became a matchup, head-to-head, at the same position, between two of Maryland's top targets for 2010. I wish I could've been there, but I'm not that lucky. Reggie Rankin, however, was there, and believes that Harris came out on top.

Class of 2010 Combination forward Tobias Harris (Dix Hills, NY. / Half Hollow Hills West) displayed a variety of skills as he attacked the basket in transition and in the half court. He has the ability to drive both ways and really likes the floater going to his left where he has excellent touch and concentration on the rim. Harris handled the ball well and was able to beat his defender and get into the lane on a regular basis. He is an excellent and willing passer on the move as he weaves in and out of traffic. Harris also made his presence felt on the glass, sprinting in from the perimeter for timely tips or to keep the ball alive. On the defensive glass, he has the ability to go coast-to-coast and finish through contact. Harris also showed the midrange pull up and knocked down an open 3. He is a match up nightmare; he can also post smaller defenders. As he adds strength his post up game, which is already solid, will become more of a weapon because he will be able to hold his post position for a longer period of time. Defensively, he did a good job using his length to pressure the ball while not getting beat off the dribble. Overall, Harris had an excellent all-around performance.

That's not to say Jones performed poorly, though:

Six foot eight Terrence Jones (Portland, Ore. / Jefferson) displayed strength and power as he attacked the basket. He drives through contact as he spins both ways and elevates to score. He likes to use the glass when he is on the angle and has excellent touch and concentration on the rim. Jones finishes through contact with ease. He does a good job moving without the ball as well. He basket cuts after he passes and comes off screens with his hands ready to receive the ball. This lefty has a scorer's mentality and plays in attack mode. At times, he leaves his feet on drives and to pass, which makes him very charge prone. He is a streaky 3-point shooter who needs time and space. He is a good defensive rebounder with the handle to go coast to coast. Jones can also score in the post with his size and strength; he simply overpowers opponents or elevates over them. He needs to add or use his midrange game to help him avoid charges. Still, Jones competes and is a tough matchup for both forward positions.

Rankin also has some notes on 2011 target Kyle Wiltjer.

Class of 2011 Kyle Wiltjer (West Linn, Ore. / Jesuit) is another skilled forward. At 6-9, he is a big-time shooter off the catch with 3-point range. He's an excellent pick-and-pop forward who makes the defense pay for helping off him. He has an excellent basketball IQ and does a good job passing on the move. Wiltjer has nice touch when he makes interior passes and the size to see over smaller defenders in traffic. He is an average athlete who needs to add strength and seems to struggle defending more athletic forwards. But he does compete for rebounds and plays with toughness. Wiltjer can get on a role and score in bunches as he did today with 26 points and seven rebounds in a hard-fought loss to the Playaz Club 60-57.

NBE Live from Peach Jam
I'm really getting on the NBE Basketball Report bandwagon, Big East focus be damned. They're continually pumping out nice recruiting updates - a great example is today, when they had live updates from Peach Jam. These updates revealed, well, a lot of things, not the least of which is about Tobias Harris:

10:25 AM (Jeff): Tobias Harris tells NBE he hopes to narrow down his list to five or six after July and make a decision before the season starts. He has visited Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Tennessee in recent months and wants to see Kentucky, too. As it stands, his list reads Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky, Memphis, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland and Louisville.

Yep, that was Maryland in his list. So, at least we aren't officially out of it yet. Still not very good odds (definitely not holding my breath), but it's better to be in than out. Other Terp-related stuff:

Terrence Jones is a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Jefferson High school in Portland (OR). After his I-5 Elite squad picked up the win over the Arkansas Wings, Jones told NBE that Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Georgetown, Marquette, Maryland, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, UCLA, USC, Cal, Texas and Kansas are on his list. All have offered already, except Duke and UNC. Jones has taken unofficial visits to Cal, Oregon State, Georgetown and UNC. He is looking to narrow his list by summer’s end.

Justin Anderson is a class of 2012 small forward with Boo Williams and Montrose Christian. After Boo used a late run to put away the Georgia Stars, Anderson told NBE that he likes Texas, UNC and Oklahoma early in his recruitment. He has been to UNC and Georgetown and also has interest from Duke and Villanova.

Wow, tough not hear us involved with Anderson. He was never really a likelihood, but I still want him listing us for awhile. I think that we'll get on his list eventually - he's at Montrose, of course, so maybe Vetter and Terrence Ross can sway him - but it's disappointing that we're not in yet.

Maryland positional breakdown: Kick and punt returners - D1SCOURSE
The Times' Pat Stevens breaks down the returning duties for the Terrapins this spring. Of course, he highlights Torrey Smith, whose bandwagon I've been on since he signed up (surely, this has nothing to do with the fact that he's from my hometown). Smith, if you remember, set an ACC record for KR yards in a year, no small feat for a freshman. The PR situation is more fluid - personally, I hope Tony Logan steps into the spot - he was impressive in the Humanitarian Bowl and he really needs to be on the field more.

Team Takeover Takes Big Shots Tournament
Local AAU team Team Takeover has been gaining on DC Assault as the top AAU team from the DC area, and their victory over 124 other teams in the Big Shots tournament surely won't hurt. Even better, they're currently blowing up in the Peach Jam. If you're wondering, a Team Takeover...well, takeover, would be beneficial. DC Assault and Gary have never had a very good relationship.

Recruiting Report: Weekend wrap
You know it - Bracken's weekend wrap.

Buster Sports - ACC Coaches Tournament
Buster Sports, a new-ish looking site (still in beta and never heard of them), has an ACC Coaches Tournament going on right now.They have what they have deemed the 32 best coaches in ACC history in a bracket going head to head. I'm still trying to figure out how Dino Gaudio got in there, but it's a nonissue because he lost in the first round anyway. I'm not exactly sure how they decide the winner (WhatIfSports?) of each matchup, but it's still a neat little activity in thought. My only complaint? A team featuring a starting five of:

C - Lonny Baxter
PF - Joe Smith
SF - Walt Williams
SG - Juan Dixon
PG - Steve Blake

would not have trouble hanging with Bob Sura and Co. Sorry, not happening.

Whoa - since when is Justin Coleman a 5 star on Scout?
Scout is really pushing the envelop here - first James Johnson, now Justin Coleman. Yep, the talented by rumored-to-be-academically-troubled wing is Scout's #4 SF, and a 5 star. Wow. He's still very high on my radar, and I still think we have a better shot with him than with a guy like Tobias Harris or CJ Leslie. 

JoePa: Bowden Shouldn't Be Docked Wins
Really? I'm not fighting the guy for the all-time wins record and I think he should lose the wins.

The NCAA is going to do what it's going to do, but I would hope they would not take away 10 or 12 wins away from him. I don't think that's fair. He coached the team he had; they played against people, and they won. They ought to be wins for them.

Sure, because recruiting obviously has nothing to do with college football. Duh. Also - yes, this is unrelated, but  I found it interesting.