Testudo Times - Maryland basketball player season reviewsSB Nation's award-winning Maryland Terrapins sitehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50025/testudo-fav.png2014-04-25T14:00:15-04:00http://www.testudotimes.com/rss/stream/53804492014-04-25T14:00:15-04:002014-04-25T14:00:15-04:00Basketball season review: Varun Ram
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<figcaption>Varun Ram appeared in 16 total games last season, averaging 7.2 minutes. | Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We continue our season review series with Maryland's transfer/walk-on/scholarship point guard, Varun Ram</p> <h3>Varun Ram</h3>
<p><b>#11, 5-foot-9, 150-pound point guard</b></p>
<p>Ram, from Clarksville, Md., will enter his third year in the program, having sat out the 2012-2013 season as a transfer from Trinity (Conn.) College before finally suiting up last season. Ram was initially a walk-on, but was granted a scholarship last season. Like Jonathan Graham, Ram could receive one of two currently available scholarships this season, depending on whether or not Maryland uses them on a JUCO, a transfer, or another 2014 high school commit.</p>
<h3>Stats</h3>
<p>Ram, not thought of before last season as someone who would ever play meaningful minutes, ended up defying those expectations when Seth Allen went down with a preseason injury and <span>Roddy Peters</span> & Co. underwhelmed in their attempt to fill in. Ram appeared in 16 games, averaging 7.2 minutes when he did play, and even got a start on Dec. 8 vs. George Washington. He was a combined 3-of-14 from the field, grabbed 13 total rebounds, dished nine assists, had nine turnovers and eight steals.</p>
<h3>High point</h3>
<p>That start was definitely a high point, as was his nifty little performance in a competitive game against Providence, when he played 12 minutes and had 3 points, 3 steals and 3 rebounds. He played a season-high 19 minutes against Marist and dished out 3 assists with 2 steals.</p>
<h3>Low point</h3>
<p>As the schedule got tougher, Ram's less-than-D1 size and athleticism began to show, then <span>Seth Allen's</span> return pretty much killed Ram's minutes. He appeared in just three of the final 18 games of the season.</p>
<h3>2014-2015 outlook</h3>
<p>Most likely, Ram is going to be next season's <span>John Auslander</span>, meaning he'll be the most respected walk-on who is closest to getting real minutes -- but then those minutes probably won't come unless Maryland either struggles mightily at point guard or is bit by the injury bug. Ram does have a role on this team, even if that role is only relevant in practice. He's Maryland's only traditional pass-first PG which should make him a vital scout team guy and could even become useful in spots during the season depending on situations and matchups. Because Ram has a great work ethic and a great mind -- he majors in neurobiology and physiology and has a 3.99 GPA (following in my footsteps!) -- you can't totally rule out him getting in crazy shape, figuring out how to close the gap on B1G guards, and forcing himself into some type of more meaningful role. It's unlikely, but not unfathomable. Whether that happens or not, Ram is a character guy that Maryland will be glad to have in the program for another season.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/25/5643586/varun-ram-maryland-basketballFlaTerp2014-04-24T12:00:10-04:002014-04-24T12:00:10-04:00Maryland basketball season review: Damonte Dodd
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<figcaption>Ellen Ozier-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Our series rolls along with the lone freshman to return next season.</p> <h3>Damonte Dodd</h3>
<p><b>(#35, 6'10, 240lbs, Forward/Center)</b></p>
<p>After committing to Maryland as an unknown from the Eastern Shore and spending a year at Massanutten Military Academy, no one was quite sure what to expect from Damonte Dodd in his freshman season. We knew he was big (the tallest player on the roster) and athletic, but beyond that...not much more. What we got was, weirdly, just that. He was big and he was athletic but beyond that...he didn't do much more.</p>
<h3>Stats</h3>
<p>In short: not many.</p>
<p>I'm going to give season total statistics because going on a per/game basis will result in a lot of fractions. In 22 games and 166 total minutes, he scored 16 points on 19 attempts, blocked 9 shots, scooped up 33 rebounds (19 offensive, 14 defensive), shot 36.8% from the field and committed 27 personal fouls. He also shot just 2 of 16 from the line, which is 12.5%.</p>
<p>On the bright side, his per 40 minutes numbers were pretty respectable: if you ignore the "6.5 fouls" thing, he averaged about 4 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks per 40.</p>
<p>Overall, he played the least, scored the least and contributed the least of any of the regular rotation players on the Terrapins.</p>
<h3>High Point</h3>
<p>Dodd scored 6 points in the first half against North Carolina State, helping Maryland establish an 11 point lead after 20 minutes. That's 37.5% of the points he scored all season!</p>
<p>Can't remember what happened after that. Nope. Can't recall.</p>
<h3>Low Point</h3>
<p>With just over a minute left in Maryland's game against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium the Terps lead 67-66. That was, until Jabari Parker drove towards the basket and threw down over Damonte Dodd. Duke would never relinquish the lead.</p>
<p>The worst part is that Dodd was <i>this close </i>to stuffing the ball right back in Parker's stupid face.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4347579/Dodd_Almost_Block.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Dodd_almost_block_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4347579/Dodd_Almost_Block_medium.png"></a></p>
<p>Instead, he was on the wrong side of a SportsCenter Top 10 moment.</p>
<h3>2014-15 Outlook</h3>
<p>Again, Dodd played the least minutes of any non-walk-on this past season, just 51 more minutes than Varun Ram (who himself played 7 total minutes during conference play). He did that on a Maryland team with a very thin and unproductive front court. Next season the Terps lose Shaq Cleare, but add two highly regarded 7-footer freshmen.</p>
<p>We knew Dodd was a very raw prospect when he came to College Park and there remains the possibility that he could develop those raw tools into a solid rotation player. Should he do that, he could overtake the incoming freshmen for playing time which could be very beneficial for two prospects seen as raw in their own right. Even a slightly productive Dodd would some pressure of Trayvon Reed and Michal Cekovsky, as well the established big men Charles Mitchell and Evan Smotrycz.</p>
<p>Dodd's best case scenario, while being realistic, for 2014-15 is a player that can stay on the court without fouling, play stout post defense, rebound and get some buckets on lobs and put backs. As for worst case...well...a repeat of his freshman season would be pretty worst case.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/24/5643932/damonte-dodd-maryland-basketball-2013-14-season-reviewAndrew Emmer2014-04-23T10:00:11-04:002014-04-23T10:00:11-04:00Maryland basketball season review: Jake Layman
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<figcaption>Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We continue our series with the Terps' small forward, one of the more hyped players in the country before the season.</p> <h3><span>Jake Layman</span></h3>
<p><b>(#10, 6'8, 205lbs, guard/forward)</b></p>
<p>Much was expected out of Layman this season (<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%40jonrothstein%20chandler%20parsons%20jake%20layman&src=typd&f=realtime">did you hear</a> there is a lot of <span>Chandler Parsons</span> in him?) as he was placed on numerous "breakout players" lists to begin the season. He was known as an athletic player with a nice jump shot, and for the most part that's what Maryland got this season.</p>
<p>The rising junior is still probably the second-most talented player on the team, even if he does have a tendency to disappear. When Jake is on, he's a player who can dominate on the offensive end, and is fully engaged on the defensive end. One thing that can be said, despite not quite taking the jump we all expected offensively: his defense improved mightily.</p>
<h3>Stats</h3>
<p>Layman finished the year averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.9 assists and 0.8 blocks. His shooting line was as follows: 40.1 percent on field goals, 36.5 percent from three and 70.1 from the free throw line.</p>
<p>He finished third on the team in scoring and rebounding, and tied for the team lead in blocks. His shooting numbers were, shockingly, up across the board, but not by much. He doubled his points this year (5.5 to 11.7), his rebounding was up (3.2 to 5.0). Layman saw a big minutes increase (he led the team), but only a minimal usage increase. He was only used on 18.2% of Maryland's possessions, a curious offensive strategy given his offensive rating (112.1 according to sports reference or 109.7 on KenPom).</p>
<p>Either way, he's second on the team in offensive rating and wasn't used nearly enough -- not sure if that's a coaching issue or a player issue, but I know I saw way too many of his possessions with him cutting to the free throw line and curling for a shot on the elbow. Long two's aren't nearly as effective and are a lower percentage shot in the modern game. That might have something to do with his true shooting percentage being just third on the team.</p>
<h3>High Point</h3>
<p>There wasn't a late-season game that really stands out, and his early season highlight was his career-high 27 points against Morgan State. It's tough to give that to him as his season high point, but he went 7-for-10 from behind the arc and had his career-high total.</p>
<p>There wasn't much to see outside of his 27 points, he had just three rebounds and two assists and blocks, but his offensive rating for the game was an off-the-charts 208 thanks to the proficiency from behind-the-arc.</p>
<h3>Low Point</h3>
<p>Ohio State. Oh god that Ohio State game. 1-for-9 from the floor and missed all five of his attempts from three. The game itself was ugly, and so was Layman's performance. If his 208 offensive rating made you say wow, his 38 against Ohio State should bring you back down to Earth. Those two games back-to-back are basically Layman's season in a nutshell.</p>
<h3>2014-15 Outlook</h3>
<p>I think it's safe to say Layman's hype will be significantly less heading into Maryland's first season in the Big Ten. He probably won't be showing up on many preseason breakout lists and hopefully the comparisons to Chandler Parsons are over with until something substantial changes on the floor.</p>
<p>I'm not against giving Layman hype, we saw flashes of a great player in 2013-14, and there's no reason Layman couldn't take the step this year that everyone was expecting last year. Even with the loss of <span>Nick Faust</span>, however, minutes will be at a premium -- he may be favored to start, but it's certainly up in the air. As we noted, he led the team in minutes this year, but I wouldn't expect a repeat performance in 2014-15.</p>
<p>He'll be a key cog whether he starts or not just about every night, but the wing will be packed this year with the additions of Dion Wiley and Jared Nickens as well as the returns of Dez Wells and Evan Smotrycz.</p>
<p>As far as improvements, Layman did a great job not letting his shooting affect the rest of his game, but his shooting needs to get more consistent. Another facet of his game that could use improving is his aggressiveness with the ball. He can handle the ball and could stand to drive to the basket to take advantage of his athleticism more often.</p>
<p>Layman should be a guy who could threaten an honorable mention All-Big Ten team nomination if everything goes his way next year. He certainly has the talent, he just needs the consistency.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/23/5641012/jake-layman-maryland-basketball-2013-14-season-reviewBrendan Darr2014-04-22T10:00:09-04:002014-04-22T10:00:09-04:00Season review: Seth Allen
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<figcaption>Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We continue our series with the Terps' point guard, one of the main factors in their second-half surge.</p> <h3>Seth Allen</h3>
<p><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark"><b>(</b></span><b>#4, 6'1", 190, guard)</b></p>
<p>Seth Allen will forever hold the distinction of being Mark Turgeon's first commit in his time with Maryland (three days before <span>Nick Faust</span> re-committed to the program), playing a solid role as a true freshman in 2012-13 and showing potential as a volume outside shooter -- something Maryland was sorely missing.</p>
<p>In late October, it was announced Allen had broken his foot -- a tough injury for any player to recover from (see Pe'Shon Howard), but an <i>especially</i> tough injury for a Maryland team that had nearly no depth at the point guard position. Allen missed the first dozen games, including close losses against UConn, Oregon State, George Washington and Boston, returning in late December.</p>
<h3>Stats</h3>
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<p>Allen ended up averaging 13.4 points and 3.0 assists per game as a sophomore, ranking second and first on the team in those respective categories. His field goal percentage rose nearly 20 percent, his three-point percentage sky-rocketed (up from 31.2% to 38.0%), his free throw percentage ticked up slightly (a 6% increase) and he even turned the ball over less while playing nearly eight more minutes per game.</p>
<p>The advanced statistics show Allen's marked improvement as well. His offensive rating rose from 96.8 to 111.8, all of his shooting numbers rose and he recorded an assist on more than one out of every five baskets while he was on the floor. His biggest improvement, however, came in his turnover rate -- the percentage of Allen's possessions (possessions ending in Allen making a shot, missing a shot that is not rebounded by the offense or a turnover) that resulted in a turnover. Allen's turnover rate was 23.8% his freshman year, but fell to 14.8% this past season.</p>
<p>Everyone saw that Allen improved from his freshman year to his sophomore campaign -- he was more capable of taking over games, and was Maryland's second most dangerous scorer when he was healthy. But the stats paint an even friendlier picture, as we see a guard whose shooting and ball-handling are improving rapidly.</p>
<h3><span>High point</span></h3>
<p>A career-high 32 points against Florida State on February 8, avenging the Terrapins' blowout loss to the Seminoles less than a month before. Allen made 11 of his 15 field goal attempts, including a staggering seven of 10 three-pointers, with four rebounds, two assists and one turnover.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_GxMCX5Sa-o" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h3>Low point</h3>
<p>Besides the injury? The first Florida State game, where he missed all eight of his shots (including all six of his three-point attempts), scoring just one point.</p>
<h3>2014-15 outlook</h3>
<p>We know one thing about <span>Seth Allen's</span> role next season: he will definitely be the number two point guard, behind incoming freshman Melo Trimble. That's if all goes according to plan -- Turgeon is planning on starting Trimble, but freshmen are inherently an unknown quantity, and it would certainly not be shocking to see Allen start at the position early in the year.</p>
<p>That being said, let's assume the plan works and Trimble does start at the point. Does Allen then start at the two, moving Dez Wells to the three and forcing a smaller lineup? It's certainly an interesting question, as Maryland has potential starters at the three and four in <span>Jake Layman</span> and <span>Evan Smotrycz</span> (while <span>Damonte Dodd</span>, who we hear made big strides towards the end of the year, and Michal Cekovsky will likely compete for the center job with <span>Charles Mitchell</span> coming off the bench). It may just be a matchup scenario, with Maryland picking between bigger (Wells/Layman/Smotrycz) and smaller (Allen/Wells/Layman) lineups throughout the season depending on the opponent, but it will certainly be one of the more interesting storylines next season. One thing's for sure, however -- the more Maryland gets Allen on the floor and puts the ball in his hands, the better.</p>
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https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/22/5639286/seth-allen-maryland-basketball-statsPete Volk2014-04-21T10:04:03-04:002014-04-21T10:04:03-04:00Basketball season recap: Dez Wells
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<figcaption>Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We continue our series with one of Maryland's most important players from last season</p> <h3>Dez Wells</h3>
<p><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark"><b>( </b></span><b>#32, 6'5", 215, guard/forward)</b><br>Dez Wells arrived at Maryland in 2012, following an unfortunate expulsion by his previous school, Xavier, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCcQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbssports.com%2Fcollegebasketball%2Feye-on-college-basketball%2F24481299%2Fjudge-upholds-most-of-dez-wells-lawsuit-claims-against-xavier&ei=lSRVU82AL4-1sASZj4EY&usg=AFQjCNFnL8Vn_7ZJF-L3fDo0CTkzlF9bKg&sig2=HXM7BCTLkWeg6Y7VTCD1YA&bvm=bv.65058239,d.cWc">which he is now suing as a result.</a> Wells, despite being just a sophomore at the time and having just arrived on campus, immediately took to a leadership role, which he's carried forward through last season.</p>
<p>He's led the team in scoring during his two years in College Park, has become the face of the team in the process, and is poised for a big senior year during Maryland's inaugural B1G season.</p>
<h3>Stats</h3>
<p>For the second season in a row, Wells led the Terps in points per game at 14.9. Discounting John Auslander's 100% free throw performance on two attempts, Wells led the Terps from the line, making 81% of his attempts from the charity stripe. He tied <span>Jake Layman</span> for the most blocks per game on the team, was second on the team in both steals and assists per game, and was forth in rebounding.</p>
<p>Only Jake Layman played more minutes per game than Wells (31.8 vs. 30.6). And when Wells was on the court, he was involved in the play 25% of the time, leading the team in that category. Wells' offensive rating was third on the team, just behind <span>Seth Allen</span> and Jake Layman. But his true shooting percentage, which incorporated his shooting percentage at the free throw line to his three point and two point percentage, was first on the team at 58.4%.</p>
<p>While Wells did improve in several aspects of his game, he did regress in both his two point and three point shooting percentages. During his freshman year at Xavier, Wells shot 37.7% from beyond the arc. During his sophomore year at Maryland, he hit just 33.3% of his long range shots. Last year, he had a career low 30.4%. His overall field goal percentage was also a career low, at 48.1%, which regressed from last season when he shot a career best 52.6% from the floor.</p>
<h3><span>High point</span></h3>
<p>In a January 29th game at home against Miami, Wells was perfect from the field, going 7/7 from the floor, including 1/1 from beyond the arc, and made all six of his free throw attempts, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He also scored 33 points and grabbed five rebounds in a win against Boston College in December.</p>
<p>Of course, there was also this, and several others like it...</p>
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<h3>Low point</h3>
<p>Scoring just five points in a blow out loss to Pitt on the road in early January. Wells also did not start against Virginia Tech in February because he was late to a team activity.</p>
<h3>2014-15 outlook</h3>
<p>Dez Wells should have a solid senior season, likely increasing his production on offense, but potentially doing so more efficiently. He has shown continued improvement from year to year throughout his career, improving his scoring production (9.8 to 13.1 to 14.9 ppg), free throw percentage (67.5 to 70.5 to 81.7%), and blocks (0.3 to 0.5 to 0.8 blocks per game).</p>
<p>Wells has, at times, played out of position for Mark Turgeon. He's run the point and has also been limited in being able to maximize his skill sets at times due to Maryland's roster make up. With the arrival of Melo Trimble to run the point and with a healthy Seth Allen on the court, Wells could potentially increase his production next season. Without Allen, Wells might have, at times, been trying to do too much. Having a second reliable scorer on the court, along with an additional ball handler to run the offense, should be a great benefit to Dez next season.</p>
<p>The Terps should also have a solid rim protector in either Trayvon Reed, Michal Cekovsky or <span>Damonte Dodd</span>, which will hopefully result in additional blocks and potentially more fast break points for Dez, especially following the departure of <span>Nick Faust</span>.</p>
<p>Dez also does a great job getting to the line, where he's been Maryland's best free throw shooter. If he can continuously get to the line, continue to improve his mid-range jumper and breakdown defenders off the dribble, I'd expect Dez to have an outstanding senior season. He should benefit from Maryland's roster additions and if he can improve on his three point shot, he could be one of the most complete and dangerous players in the B1G next year.</p>
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https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/21/5629822/dez-wells-maryland-basketball-2013-14-seasonDave Tucker2014-04-20T08:00:03-04:002014-04-20T08:00:03-04:00Season review: Shaq Cleare
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<figcaption>Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Our series continues with the third transfer from the program.</p> <h3><b><span>Shaquille Cleare</span></b></h3>
<p><b>Center, 6'9", 265 lbs, #44</b></p>
<p>Shaq Cleare was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, but he never seemed to pan out in a Terrapin uniform. Cleare has declared his intention to transfer, ending a two year stint of underachievement at College Park. The Bahamian had trouble becoming a low post presence for the Terps and midway through his sophomore season, the year he was supposed to break out, he was replaced in the starting lineup.</p>
<h4><b>Stats</b></h4>
<p>Cleare didn't score much last season, averaging 3.0 points per game on 13.8 minutes per game, which is even less production than he saw in his freshman year (when he scored 3.7 points per game on 12.0 minutes). His best =coring game came on December 14 against Florida Atlantic when he went 5-7 and put up 10 points. Cleare's rebounding dropped off in the middle of the year, but in the final four games of the season he picked it back up and ended with an average of 2.5 rebounds per game.</p>
<p>Fouling was a problem for him at times. Although he never fouled out of a game, he finished seven games with four personal fouls and had to have his minutes cut as a result. For the season, Cleare shot 56.5 percent from the field, making 39 of his 69 shots. He struggled at the free throw line, only converting 17 of his 29 opportunities from the charity strike to give him a 59.5 free throw percentage.</p>
<h4><b>High Point</b></h4>
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<p>His biggest impact performance came in arguably Maryland's biggest game of the year; the final ACC game against rival and highly ranked Virginia. While Cleare didn't stuff the stat sheets that game, he was able to provide valuable quality minutes while <span>Charles Mitchell</span> dealt with foul trouble the whole game. He played a season-high 26 minutes against the Cavaliers, scored five points, snagged five rebounds, managed to go 3-4 from the free throw line and was partially responsible for <span>Akil Mitchell</span> only putting up four points and four boards.</p>
<h4><b>Low Point</b></h4>
<p>From January 29 to March 2, Cleare only scored seven points, which included a five-game streak of goose eggs in the scoring column. He saw his minutes drastically reduced and only got eight minutes of combined playing time against Duke, Wake Forest and Syracuse.</p>
<h4><b>The Future</b></h4>
<p>Cleare has announced he will be transferring. There have been rumors that he has been in talks with Texas and that both parties are interested, but still not much is known of where he will end up.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/20/5632406/shaquille-cleare-maryland-basketballJustin Meyer2014-04-19T08:00:02-04:002014-04-19T08:00:02-04:00Basketball season review: Jonathan Graham
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<p>Jonathan Graham transferred to Maryland from Penn State before the start of the 2013-2014 season and wasn't expected to play a factor into the rotation. Graham played more than expected, and even made his presence felt in games doing the small things to help win games. Here's a look into his junior season with the Terps.</p> <h3>Jonathan Graham</h3>
<p><b>Power forward, 6'8", 220lbs, #25</b></p>
<p>When Jonathan Graham came to Maryland, the expectation was that he would be a body that would only be needed when others were in foul trouble or injury struck. Those expectations were quickly shifted once Graham made an impact early in the season, as the Penn State transfer exceeded expectations early on. Graham didn't see a lot of time in the early portion of the season, but began to see 20+ minutes in games when the team played Boston College on December 12, and would see double-digit minutes for most of the games from then on. Graham was never the flashiest player on the court, but he did the small things that helped keep things afloat for the Terps when the big men were struggling.</p>
<p><b>Stats</b></p>
<p>Graham wasn't much of a scorer for the team. but he did contribute on a few buckets here and there, scoring a season-high six points against North Carolina Central on December 31. Graham only averaged 1.6 points per contest through the season as well as 2.4 rebounds per game. Graham held a block percentage of 5.2% and had an offensive rating of 98.5. The stats are not pretty for Graham, but that doesn't tell the whole story of his season. He did the dirty work while players like <span>Charles Mitchell</span> and Evan Smotrycz got the glory of scoring the basketball. Graham will not be mistaken for an All-<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/american" class="sbn-auto-link">American</a> forward, but he does his job.</p>
<p><b>High Point</b></p>
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<p>The high point of the season for Graham came when he scored six points against Boston College, tying his season-high. Graham also saw a lot of time off of the bench throughout the middle portion of the season when Shaq Cleare was dealing with a shoulder injury, giving him a chance to show what he could do when the expectation before the season was that he wouldn't play much, if at all. Graham was a key contributor to spell Mitchell during games and grab rebounds when the big men weren't getting it done.</p>
<p><b>Low Point</b></p>
<p>Graham saw his time diminish towards the end of the season when Damonte Dodd began to get more comfortable on the court. In his last five games, Graham didn't get into the game against Syracuse, played 11 minutes against Clemson, and only saw 20 minutes combined in his final three games. After plugging away and battling all season, Graham was left on the bench in key moments down the stretch when wins were needed. Graham seemed to have earned the time, but with Cleare getting healthy and Dodd developing, there wasn't much room for him on the court.</p>
<p><b>Future</b></p>
<p>Graham wasn't expected to be on scholarship next season, but with the transfers of Nick Faust, Shaq Cleare and Roddy Peters, it looks like he'll have one for his final year. It isn't likely that he will receive much time, if any, but he provides some needed frontcourt depth and a senior presence on the inside.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/19/5627396/jonathan-graham-maryland-basketballJohn Langley2014-04-17T14:00:02-04:002014-04-17T14:00:02-04:00Basketball season review: Roddy Peters
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<figcaption>Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Continuing a series of season reviews, this one looks into the frustrating season of Roddy Peters. 20.1 9.1</p> <h3><b>Roddy Peters</b></h3>
<p><b>6'3", 195 lbs, point guard</b></p>
<p>Peters completed his freshman year at Maryland, where things started off fairly well, but ended on a bit of a sour note. Peters was poised to be the "point guard of the future" when he came to Maryland out of Suitland High School, but after missing time due to shoulder surgery at the end of his senior season there, Peters was never able to fully work on his game and develop his jump shot. Even with the struggles, many expected Peters to contend for point guard duties next season, but he will be transferring elsewhere.</p>
<h4><b>Stats</b></h4>
<p>Peters wasn't a scoring machine for Maryland, averaging just 4.1 point per game in his time on the court, but did have some early success distributing the ball with 2.1 assists per game. Peters was never a threat from beyond the arc, shooting only nine three-point attempts and making only one of them. Of his 114 two-point attempts, Peters made 49 for a percentage of 41%, according to Kenpom. Peters played 37.4% of the available minutes, but that doesn't paint the full picture -- Peters made major contributions early on in the season, but that faded a bit as the season progressed and Seth Allen became healthy.</p>
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<h4><b>High Point</b></h4>
<p>Peters was called upon to play significant minutes early in the season, and he played fairly well, considering he was thrown into the fire so early. In 18 minutes of action in the opener against Connecticut, Peters made both of his field goal attempts, scoring five points while dishing out two assists. He would turn the ball over three times, but for a freshman, it was reasonable to expect some errors. Peters would begin the season averaging 20.1 minutes per game up until January 12th against Florida State. Peters reached his career-high of 14 points against Boston College on December 12th where he played in 26 minutes of action. He would crack double-digits three times early in the season, with this game being his last double-digit game. The early exposure helped Peters get comfortable and adjust to the college game.</p>
<h4><b>Low point</b></h4>
<p>While Peters got a lot of playing time to start the season, the end to the season was not as promising with playing time. Seth Allen returned for the Tulsa game on December 29, and soon thereafter, Peters would see his playing time diminish. From January 15 to the end of the season, Peters averaged just 9.1 minutes per game, and it showed on the court at times. The team relied on Allen to play more minutes, and Peters stayed on the bench for most of the game. From there, Peters wasn't able to get onto the court enough to gain confidence in his game.</p>
<h4><b>The future</b></h4>
<p>Roddy Peters has decided to transfer from the University of Maryland, to the shock of many. There is a giant list of suitors for his talents, but many expected him to stay put and compete for time at Maryland. With Melo Trimble coming in, it was tough to see a lot of time for Peters heading forward.</p>
<p>To put it simply, Roddy Peters has a lot of talent, but still has a ways to go in his development as a player. Peters needs to develop his jump shot to keep defenders guessing, but possesses the tools to be a good point guard at the division one level. Peters is a raw player that should develop as he gets more experience, and perhaps the transfer and a fresh start will propel him to new levels.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2014/4/17/5618702/roddy-peters-maryland-basketball-statsJohn Langley