Updated with point totals:
Some quick thoughts from Maryland's open scrimmage Saturday afternoon.
- Roddy Peters looks like a special talent out there. He drove to the hoop with ease, made some cutting passes, and even hit his free throws. He's going to be a huge matchup problem with his size, and could steal the starting point guard job sooner rather than later. It wasn't perfect -- he struggled in half-court play, but looked better than earlier in the offseason -- but Peters certainly caught attention with his playmaking ability. We'll confirm the points later, but by our count, between the second scrimmage and third (a combined 22 minutes), Peters scored 11 points.
- Dez Wells looks bigger than last year, and it's making him an even better scorer. On one play, he backed Nick Faust down with one move, then swiftly turned around to hit the smooth fadeaway jumper. Wells was repeatedly the go-to scorer for whichever team he was playing for, and he was able to consistently get buckets -- something Maryland will need from him this year.
- Maryland will be able to stretch the floor with Jake Layman and Evan Smotrycz. The two are probably Maryland's best three-point shooters (although Seth Allen hit some as well), but also look very smooth handling the ball for players their size. Everything you've heard about Layman this summer has been true -- he looks like a completely different player, and could be a dynamic second scorer to go along with Wells.
Other notes: Shaq Cleare struggled a bit early with fouls and turnovers, but settled down in the third of three scrimmages, rebounding well and playing solid post defense. Damonte Dodd looks as energetic as ever, making some key blocks and flying around the court, but is still very raw -- he was called for a number of fouls and made some turnovers. Charles Mitchell brought the same level of energy that he did every game last year -- he had some offensive rebounds that turned into baskets, and got to the line frequently. John Auslander actually tied for the lead in scoring in the second scrimmage with Wells -- the former walk-on hit two three-pointers in the period.
Point totals, via a Maryland release.
Layman – 21 pts
Smotrycz – 21 pts
Wells – 20 pts
Mitchell – 13 pts
Allen – 11 pts
Faust – 11 pts
Peters – 11 pts
Ram – 7 pts
Auslander – 6 pts
Cleare – 6 pts
Dodd – 5 pts
Lipinski – 3 pts
Graham – 2pts