The Terrible Terps

[billybreen]

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the current version of Williams, the sad sack who fails to have his team ready to play with any consistency and blames everyone possible for his own shortcomings. It's fun to watch. I also wish Matt Doherty was still coaching UNC, for reasons that are obvious to everyone not named Jason Evans.

With that said, how long of a leash does Gary have? If they totally flame out this year, is there any chance he's sacked in the off season?

[Mr Blue Devil]

I'd just hate to see "Sweat Gary, Sweat" go away!

[roywhite]

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the current version of Williams, the sad sack who fails to have his team ready to play with any consistency and blames everyone possible for his own shortcomings. It's fun to watch. I also wish Matt Doherty was still coaching UNC, for reasons that are obvious to everyone not named Jason Evans.

With that said, how long of a leash does Gary have? If they totally flame out this year, is there any chance he's sacked in the off season?

My buddies who live in MD (Duke fans in enemy territory) report that public sentiment is turning pretty strongly against Gary. This would be a highly scientific :) sample of man-on-the-street, guys-in-the-bar, and sports talk radio but getting nasty FWIW.

No inside info, but certainly AD Debbie Yow has no love for Gary. In tight economic times, the size of a Gary Williams buyout could be an issue.

[blueprofessor]

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the current version of Williams, the sad sack who fails to have his team ready to play with any consistency and blames everyone possible for his own shortcomings. It's fun to watch. I also wish Matt Doherty was still coaching UNC, for reasons that are obvious to everyone not named Jason Evans.

With that said, how long of a leash does Gary have? If they totally flame out this year, is there any chance he's sacked in the off season?

....."Don't anger the A.D.!"

Pat Kennedy,who was very successful in the ACC (two 2nd place finishes in FSU's first two years), learned that lesson.
If Yow has a top candidate in mind who would take the job, then Ol' Sweatty is expendable.Perhaps not before next year, but after next if this and the following season are substandard and recruiting is disappointing.
Hope is very important; next year's incoming players may well buy a few years more time for GATech's coach,one of the more underwhelming talents in college hoops.
I hope Gary and Paul Hewitt stay for a long time as I want Duke to have a strategic advantage over its opponents in talent(MD) and in coaching(GATech).:D

Best regards,
Blueprofessor:)

[greybeard]

Tony the K, in Washington Post on-line today, has a video interview in which he makes a very spirited defense of Gary who apparently is a very close friend. Watch out, sports fans, T does have his claws out.

[ArnieMc]

In the headline story, DPR lists "Physical players Gary Williams has yet to apologize for." I believe they left out an important one: Ekene Ibekwe. Wasn't he the Maryland player who elbowed Daniel Ewing in the head, prompting Bob Donato to call a Technical on Ewing, which started the trend of calling Technicals on Ewing?

[billybreen]

Tony the K, in Washington Post on-line today, has a video interview in which he makes a very spirited defense of Gary who apparently is a very close friend. Watch out, sports fans, T does have his claws out.

Excellent! A wailing and gnashing Gary who manages to stay employed but on the hot seat for several years is a best case scenario.

[greybeard]

Excellent! A wailing and gnashing Gary who manages to stay employed but on the hot seat for several years is a best case scenario.

Not understanding the connection, but thanks for the link, whatever it might be.

[allenmurray]

Tony the K, in Washington Post on-line today, has a video interview in which he makes a very spirited defense of Gary who apparently is a very close friend. Watch out, sports fans, T does have his claws out.

I love Tony. However, he is not always correct. I am a University of maryland alumni who will NEVER root for Maryland as long as Gary Williams is there.

[billybreen]

I love Tony. However, he is not always correct. I am a University of maryland alumni who will NEVER root for Maryland as long as Gary Williams is there.

Yet another reason I hope Gary sticks around. We need to keep allen's loyalties pure. ;)

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the current version of Williams, the sad sack

Am I the only one who hears the sad Charlie Brown music playing when you see Gary Williams on TV? Good grief!

[billybreen]

Am I the only one who hears the sad Charlie Brown music playing when you see Gary Williams on TV? Good grief!

Gary Williams is a blockhead. I'm not even sure he could pick out a decent X-mas tree.

[sagegrouse]

I learned this about myself 10 years ago at the NCAA subregionals in DC, where Bob Knight's Hoosiers were one of the teams. (This was prior to the K-Knight rapprochement at the HOF induction.) I loathed Knight but found myself rooting for his team to survive a first round game only so I could root against his team two days later.

Wow, I said. Having someone to despise is part of the attraction of being a fan.

ACC fans outside Maryland will want to keep him around.

sagegrouse
'I don't despise Gary because he is a good coach and his disgraceful antics, even when horrifying, are sorta amusing'

[greybeard]

I love Tony. However, he is not always correct.

Tony, always correct? He rarely does "correct" except on network stuff, finds it boring I think. Tony prefers not to come to the defense of his close friends on the air, aka Larry Brown; have heard him say so on the radio pretty often I think. Interesting?

[jv001]

We need for gary to remain at md. I love loveable losers. Wait gary and the twerp are not loveable. I can't believe he's whining about physical play. He's gotten to the point he has to blame anyone or anything but himself. Recruit and coach gary and things will get better. Go Duke!

[roywhite]

He's gotten to the point he has to blame anyone or anything but himself.


His trademark is his rants during games which are uttered in the direction of some poor reserve or assistant coach on the bench.

[Jfrosh]

I learned this about myself 10 years ago at the NCAA subregionals in DC, where Bob Knight's Hoosiers were one of the teams. (This was prior to the K-Knight rapprochement at the HOF induction.) I loathed Knight but found myself rooting for his team to survive a first round game only so I could root against his team two days later.

Wow, I said. Having someone to despise is part of the attraction of being a fan.

ACC fans outside Maryland will want to keep him around.

sagegrouse
'I don't despise Gary because he is a good coach and his disgraceful antics, even when horrifying, are sorta amusing'

Good point. While I despise Gary and would love to see him fired, there is something to be said for having someone to hate in sports. While the hatred is there for unc, I don't have quite the vitriol for Deputy Dog that I do for Gary. Let him suffer for awhile before he gets canned.

[JasonEvans]

I also wish Matt Doherty was still coaching UNC, for reasons that are obvious to everyone not named Jason Evans.

Well... see... I thought that when Carolina got rid of Doh, they would hire Dereck Whittenburg.

--Jason "...for the good of the rivalry..." Evans

[allenmurray]

Yet another reason I hope Gary sticks around. We need to keep allen's loyalties pure. ;)

I've always had a "second' team that I root for when not rooting for Duke. In the Lefty days it was always the University of Maryland. Since then it has been NC State. Except for when they are playing Duke I want State to win.

[rasputin]

His trademark is his rants during games which are uttered in the direction of some poor reserve or assistant coach on the bench.

Yes, but part of that trademark is the fact that he is also producing Moe Szyslak-like amounts of sweat at the same time.;)

[billybreen]

Yes, but part of that trademark is the fact that he is also producing Moe Szyslak-like amounts of sweat at the same time.;)

And his ears have extensive cauliflowering.

[TillyGalore]

Found this pic and thought I'd share with all a y'all.

626

[billybreen]

Found this pic and thought I'd share with all a y'all.

626

That pic reminds me of another reason MD needs to keep Gary -- no other coach bears such a striking resemblance to his team's mascot.

[Lulu]

Gary's whining, as posted on main page, is concerning. As absurd and ridiculous as it might be, it's going to start another media frenzy on the topic, and we haven't even recovered from the last one yet. I'm kinda hoping we (including DBR) can just ignore it and it will die, because we know where the media will side if this becomes a back-and-forth.

So why isn't Gary "allowed" to comment? I'm asking what the specific rule and penalty might be - because if you ask me, he's clearly broken it without saying the words. You might as well speak pig latin and then try to say it was nothing but gibberish.

Of course, I guess I'd hope he wasn't punished anyway, because the media will pick up on that, too.
I hate even bumping a thread with his name in it.

[billybreen]

Gary's whining, as posted on main page, is concerning. As absurd and ridiculous as it might be, it's going to start another media frenzy on the topic, and we haven't even recovered from the last one yet. I'm kinda hoping we (including DBR) can just ignore it and it will die, because we know where the media will side if this becomes a back-and-forth.

I don't know. I think the notion of officiating being the reason for a 41 point loss is so transparently stupid that it won't get any traction, even given the success of that meme in the past.

[MB in MD]

My buddies who live in MD (Duke fans in enemy territory) report that public sentiment is turning pretty strongly against Gary.

As someone who partly fits the category (not your buddy but a Duke fan in enemy territory) I can attest to the truth of this. Talk radio around here is getting vicious, and the folks I got a chance to, umm, say a very upbeat and pleasant hello to on Monday were all pretty dispirited and blaming Gary. Of course they still said that the refs gave Duke all the calls in the game, but actually conceded that it didn't make a difference in the outcome. Most of them also don't seem to think he is gone, but they say it kind of wistfully.

[billybreen]

As someone who partly fits the category (not your buddy but a Duke fan in enemy territory) I can attest to the truth of this. Talk radio around here is getting vicious, and the folks I got a chance to, umm, say a very upbeat and pleasant hello to on Monday were all pretty dispirited and blaming Gary. Of course they still said that the refs gave Duke all the calls in the game, but actually conceded that it didn't make a difference in the outcome. Most of them also don't seem to think he is gone, but they say it kind of wistfully.

So they didn't see the dude clearly standing out of bounds tap a ball back into play (while Mike Patrick gushed about the athleticism that requires).

[OldPhiKap]

I know it's kind of fun and all, but shouldn't we wait until after we play them in MD before starting the eulogy? I predict many sharp elbows and a much more focused team.

Just sayin'.

[Virginian]

How many years can the Maryland faithful whine about "Duke's sixth man" and complain that Md. would have won if only the game had been called fairly?

What a bunch of..er, hooey!

It's probably too long past the fact to confirm that Maryland's march to its lone national championship was supported by a very large favorable margin in foul calls in the NCAA tourney, especially the Final Four games. But I sure noticed it at the time. The refs greased their skids every game. You'd have thought that would shut them up. But no!

Furthermore, Md. players have never made any secret of their defensive tactics. Any opposing player that dares to come into the lane and try to score will be smacked down. "Let him beat us from the free-throw line," is the UMD motto that they live up to to this day. They did a lot of smacking down in the lane Saturday and still coughed up a hair ball of a game.

Stupid whiney losers! Oh gosh, here I go sounding bitter again.

But, man, I'm loving this week after pounding the crap outta those low-life idiots.

[EarlJam]

Weren't they up by about 20 in the first half?

About to lose to B.C.

Of course, the refs are to blame, but still.

-EJ

[Duke09]

not to mention blowing a 17pt 2nd half lead to Miami a few weeks ago

[Clipsfan]

It was almost painful to watch...and I was sort of rooting for BC (or more accurately, against MD)

[Cell-R]

Bye Bye tournament chances...

Maybe next year! :cool:

[geraldsneighbor]

Gary, welcome to the hot seat!

[wisteria]

I'm actually feeling sad for Gary Williams. It's just a very miserable way to end your career. I guess he's got no one to blame but himself.

[Clipsfan]

I'm actually feeling sad for Gary Williams. It's just a very miserable way to end your career. I guess he's got no one to blame but himself.

Are you making a joke with that last bit? I only ask because we know that he will blame everyone but himself...

[Dukie4Life]

I just get so tired of Gary Williams one of my all-time fave cheers in Cameron is Sweat Gary Sweat, perhaps the crazies should all donate a bottle of tissues and send them to the Comcast Center b/c all Gary's done for the past two-three years is cry over how horrible his players are....isn't that a reflection of coaching???

I think so.

[rockymtn devil]

It is sad to see a coach who won the University's only basketball national title be in this position. I also agree that coach Williams is to blame for the recent problems at Maryland. I will not, however, speculate about the future of Gary Williams at Maryland. I'll afford him the same respect that's often discussed on this board regarding current Duke coaches who may be feeling some heat on their seat (Ted Roof comes to mind; talking about his future while he was still the coach was rightfully a no-no).

With that said, I've always felt that Gary Williams, more than any other coach in recent memory, squandered so much program capital (recruiting, tv exposure, fan support). Is there another coach that you can remember wasting such good will and capital? UNLV went down hill, but they had other reasons. Maybe Arkansas and Nolan Richardson after 1994-1995?

[CLT Devil]

Love it. Absolutely love it. Never respected or liked Gary Williams...only coach I know (other than Jimmy Patsos or his other proteges) who would scream at players on the bench if he doesnt like whats happening in the game.

Down with Gary. No love here. Maybe they'll get a coach who will condemn implorable fan behavior, ie battery throwing, rioting, unbearable conditions for visitng players' families. Stay classy Gary....stay sweaty Gary....

[devildownunder]

To me, Gary Williams has always played Cliff Barnes to K or Dean's J.R. Ewing. He's a man who has overcome personal demons to have a highly successful career but won't allow himself to feel like anything but a perpetually put upon underdog because of his feeling of inadequacy with respect to his rivals.

Of course, I don't know the man.

[OldPhiKap]

My heart goes out to Gary Williams.



And by "heart," I mean my middle finger.



And by "goes out," I mean "sticks up."



But I'm with 'ya, Sweaty. Give Bob Wade a call and set up a fishing date.

[Uncle Drew]

Are you making a joke with that last bit? I only ask because we know that he will blame everyone but himself...

While I am no fan of Gary or Maryland and certainly not their fans. If you want to know who is to blame for the state of Maryland basketball it's Bob Wade. For those who don't know after he took the program to even lower depths after Len Bias died when he was shown the door he held a grudge. Any and every player he has run across in his new "career" in the Baltimore / DC metro area he has done everything in his power to steer AWAY from Maryland. Think about Dematha High, think about Carlmello Anthony and other players from that area.

I mean with UNC owning the state of North Carolina Duke has / had a hard time recruiting in state. But imagine how crazy it is when you are basically the only school in state and you can't recruit there!

Look say what you want about Gary, his conspiracy theories are insane at times. But due to Wade's world he IS and has been at a disadvantage in recuiting since he started. He got lucky with Blake and company staying for four years and winning a title. But even with the lower academic standards and the knowledge Maryland doesn't even care if you graduate at all Gary has been kind of handcuffed. Do I feel sorry for him? No. Do I want Maryland to fall flat on it's face and miss the NCAA's for another however many years and have to rebuild with someone other than Gary? Sure why not, one less ACC school to worry about. But I say this, as long as Wade holds his grudge whomever has the job will be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to recruiting. And like it or not, when Gary has gotten tallent he HAS won with it. Sure he's recruited some head case thug players. But nobody has ever made the claim Maryland "sellects" like they have said about Duke and UNC.

[BlueintheFace]

I have my reasons for disliking Gary as many of you do, but if he does in fact end up in the hot seat, I will be unhappy about one thing when he goes. That will be-- one less national championship holding coach in the ACC.

[-bdbd]

If you want to know who is to blame for the state of Maryland basketball it's Bob Wade. For those who don't know after he took the program to even lower depths after Len Bias died when he was shown the door he held a grudge. Any and every player he has run across in his new "career" in the Baltimore / DC metro area he has done everything in his power to steer AWAY from Maryland. Think about Dematha High, think about Carlmello Anthony and other players from that area...
.....And like it or not, when Gary has gotten tallent he HAS won with it. Sure he's recruited some head case thug players. But nobody has ever made the claim Maryland "sellects" like they have said about Duke and UNC.

While Wade hasn't helped them a lot, there are MUCH bigger factors at play here, and you also leave out some other factors in his FAVOR in recent years, such as a gorgeous new facility, the energy and recognition that comes with winning a NC, a total lack of academic standards to "hamper" his success, a strong/avid fan base in the DC area and MD in general. Sure, Wade may poison the well a little occasionally, but its not like he dictates to all of those great DC/MD players where they're going to go. I just don't think ole 'Sweaty' actually recruits well, and certainly not with the energy of a lot of other HC's. (His biggest loss in recent years was losing his lead recruiter to another school's HC job.)

I'm in the DC area, with LOTS of Terp fans around, as well as dominating local media. I know for at least a couple of years the fans have been whining about Gary's "wasted opportunity" after winning the NC and moving into the beautiful new Comcast Ctr. -- they absolutely feel/expect that winning the NC legitimized them as a national power and, coupled with the new facility, they should be a perrenial national contender. Check out the Terp fan chatboards -- never known as a patient, classy group, they (loudly) now want his head. And obviously Gary's making little attempt to cover his dislike for AD Yow. Unless a dramatic turnaround happens in Feb., I give Gary about 2/3-odds of being gone by late-Mar./early-Apr.

You just gotta laugh at some of it though -- you get blown out of the gym by 40+ against a team that could have probably tacked on another 20 to the margin if they wanted to, and the best you can say is "physical game, very physical," as if a couple bad calls cost you the game. LOL! And this from a guy known to frequently play a very physical brand of ball in the past. :confused:

Good grief!

-BDBD

[Uncle Drew]

While Wade hasn't helped them a lot, there are MUCH bigger factors at play here, and you also leave out some other factors in his FAVOR in recent years, such as a gorgeous new facility, the energy and recognition that comes with winning a NC, a total lack of academic standards to "hamper" his success, a strong/avid fan base in the DC area and MD in general. Sure, Wade may poison the well a little occasionally, but its not like he dictates to all of those great DC/MD players where they're going to go. I just don't think ole 'Sweaty' actually recruits well, and certainly not with the energy of a lot of other HC's. (His biggest loss in recent years was losing his lead recruiter to another school's HC job.)

I'm in the DC area, with LOTS of Terp fans around, as well as dominating local media. I know for at least a couple of years the fans have been whining about Gary's "wasted opportunity" after winning the NC and moving into the beautiful new Comcast Ctr. -- they absolutely feel/expect that winning the NC legitimized them as a national power and, coupled with the new facility, they should be a perrenial national contender. Check out the Terp fan chatboards -- never known as a patient, classy group, they (loudly) now want his head. And obviously Gary's making little attempt to cover his dislike for AD Yow. Unless a dramatic turnaround happens in Feb., I give Gary about 2/3-odds of being gone by late-Mar./early-Apr.

You just gotta laugh at some of it though -- you get blown out of the gym by 40+ against a team that could have probably tacked on another 20 to the margin if they wanted to, and the best you can say is "physical game, very physical," as if a couple bad calls cost you the game. LOL! And this from a guy known to frequently play a very physical brand of ball in the past. :confused:

Good grief!

-BDBD


You make excellent points, and logic agrees with you. My basis for what I typed was an article in one of the weekly / monthly recruiting rags I used to buy every so often. About the time the rumours were coming out about Felton, McCants and May wanting a new coach or they were transfering an article came out about Wade. Now of course that was what, seven, eight years ago and I didn't keep the paper to quote from. But the writer listed of 20-25 players from the DC / Baltimore metro area. All of these players were rated rather highly, recognizable names out of high school and ALL had AAU or some verified link / relationship with Wade.

Now even UNC doesn't get every player they want in the state of North Carolina. But Mayrland isn't (or shouldn't be) recruiting against Maryland Eastern Shorn or the University of Martyland at Towson. Keep in mind this was not too long after the Joe Smith years and directly after the Steve Francis year, going to the Final Four and then the next year winning it all. Players should have been jumping at the chance to suit up for the Terps, especially around College Park.

You can point at a lot of things that happened since the NCAA title that led Maryland to where it is now. If Wilcox had stayed after winning the title I'm sure their record would have been better. If Gary hadn't had run ins with Gilchrist who knows. And you make an EXCELLENT point about losing the prime recruiter to another coaching job. You are on the money by saying their are many factors to Marylands recuiting misses. I just say if you'd read the same article I did years ago, and saw the local talent PERHAPS influenced to go elsewhere it may not be all on Gary.


I'm with you in looking at this kind of like a karma thing. Sometimes you reap what you have been sowing for years. And with the mood Ms Yow is in I don't think I would publicly be pushing her buttons. I'll just say their season wasn't going great before they played Duke and losing like that can and may affect their season the rest of the year. Just look at tonights game, at home even without BC's leading scorer having a good game. From a national perspective it looks like the ship is on fire and Gary is trying to douse it with water in a dixie cup. I see a change after the season is over, but a few more horrible performances and he may have lots of free golf time well before March.

[BlueintheFace]

...and the hits keep coming. I don't think this deserves it's own thread, but the Korean player, Kim, was ruled academically ineligible.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/01/27/kim.maryland.ap/index.html

[wisteria]

Oh the turmoil at Maryland just gets better and better...

Gary Williams and A.D. Debbie Yow have officially gone to the war in public (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/basketball/mens/bal-williams0127,0,4574072.story).

Geez... It's a full blown drama! The end of Gary's reign at Maryland just became a lot closer.

[FireOgilvie]

Oh the turmoil at Maryland just gets better and better...

Gary Williams and A.D. Debbie Yow have officially gone to the war in public (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/basketball/mens/bal-williams0127,0,4574072.story).

Geez... It's a full blown drama! The end of Gary's reign at Maryland just became a lot closer.


I like this quote:

"Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship, she has never done anything. She's an associate AD. This is just giving you guys stuff to make me look bad."

[slower]

Gary's starting to remind me of Captain Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) from "The Caine Mutiny". Anybody else remember that movie? "And then there were the strawberries!"

[billybreen]

Gary's starting to remind me of Captain Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) from "The Caine Mutiny". Anybody else remember that movie? "And then there were the strawberries!"

Never seen the movie, but the book was great. I suggest we get him some Baoding balls to nervously massage on the sidelines.

[jv001]

I like this quote:

"Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship, she has never done anything. She's an associate AD. This is just giving you guys stuff to make me look bad."

Gary once again shows he has no class. With Debbie Yow in mourning over the loss of her sister Kay, Gary goes off on the md. administration. He's got to blame it on someone because he will not accept the blame. He can coach, but he can't recruit. Go Duke!

[billybreen]

He can coach, but he can't recruit. Go Duke!

I'm curious how much Gary's personal style has to do with his recruiting. If I was a blue chip prospect, would I really consider playing for the sweaty dude who screams at the bench for the whole game?

[jv001]

I'm curious how much Gary's personal style has to do with his recruiting. If I was a blue chip prospect, would I really consider playing for the sweaty dude who screams at the bench for the whole game?

I know I wouldn't play for this guy. I have never figured out why he yells at the bench the entire game. I noticed one of the head coaches that came from his system doing the same thing when we played them this year. Go figure. Go Duke!

[gw67]

Until yesterday, I figured that Williams would stick around until his contract ran out. However, going public with his defensive statements and getting the Maryland Athletic Department involved, then snapping back at their response, has shaken even his supporters (see the Mike Wise piece linked in the ACC Roundup). This combined with the prospect of not finishing in the middle of the ACC but towards the bottom with a bunch of empty seats at their games, has, IMO, set the ball in motion for his dismissal at the end of this year.

This then leads to the question of who AD Yow would choose as his successor. For many alums this is a frightening proposition because they don’t think she has the smarts to make a good choice (sorta like the feelings toward Alleva). The names that are being kicked around on the Maryland board are Grant of VCU and Miller of Xavier. I think Miller would be a good catch for any big school making a coaching change. Grant was pumped up a couple of years ago after VCU defeated the Devils but no school has been willing to take him onboard. I see him as a possible backup choice if you can’t get one of your top choices.

I like Amaker and Capel but I don’t know if they would be willing to leave their current schools and coach against Duke. I also like Stallings of Vandy, Tubby Smith of Minnesota and Wright of Villanova. Who knows whether any of those folks would be interested in working for Yow and taking over a team where there is not a lot of wiggle room to recruit for a while.

gw67

[Carlos]

Gary's swirling around the drain as we watch and it's not pretty. While there are a number of factors that contribute to the situation most of the blame lies squarely on Williams' shoulders.

There's an old adage that "success is an ongoing venture" and I think that Gary's taken a different approach in recruiting since the back-to-back Final Fours and the National Championship. If you want a shocking insight into Williams' recruiting approach check out this post (http://mdhigh.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=566&mid=119943605&sid=1002&tid=119926221&style=1) by Kendall Marshall's father on a Maryland HS message board. Marshall is a mediocre player heading to a second rate program... OK, Marshall's a great player heading to Carolina, and any coach in America would love to have him in their program. So how did the Terps handle the recruitment? Here it is from Marshall's own father:


Here's the honest truth. We were asked to come to UMD by an assistant. We went into a room. Dressing room. Had a plan laid out for us on a chalk board. Mind you, there were clothes everywhere. My wife was asked to sit in the lockeroom while we were being talked to. We (Kendall and I) were given the whole recruit talk. That was it. No Gary anywhere to be seen. We were told a couple of days later.."that was an offer."

That's an amazing account and reflects poorly on how Williams is approaching things. The other thing that reflects poorly on Williams is the types of guys he's gone after in the last few years. When you approach recruiting as casually as Williams has done in the past few years - yet you still want to run with the big boys on the court - you have to find guys with talent but not in high demand. That means guys who have some warts or issues. Gary's spent a bunch of time whining about it's not his fault that the talent level at Maryland is so low, but look at the guys who Gary's talking about.


Gus Gilchrist - he's a talented forward who would have helped the Terps immensely. But he came to Maryland after decommitting from VaTech in the wake of the campus shootings. Because of ACC transfer rules he was limited to 2.5 years of eligibility and so after transferring to Maryland he ended up transferring to South Florida where he would have more eligibility.

Tyree Evans - talented but troubled guard who committed to the Terps after being charged with felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute (later reduced to a misdemeanor), being charged with statutory rape (later reduced to an assault-related misdemeanor), being arrested for trespassing, and being arrested on marijuana and handgun charges. Along the way he went from high school to prep school to two junior colleges and when he left most places the coaches weren't sad to see him go.

Bobby Maze - the Terps had originally taken a verbal commitment from Maze but once Evans became available they backed away from their offer to Maze who ended up at Tennessee. Still, Maze came with some baggage after being dismissed from Jeff Capel's Oklahoma team because of a bad attitude.

Sure, Gary can say that it wasn't his call that these guys aren't on the Terp roster right now - but that ignores the fact that he was recruiting high-risk guys and while he may be able to say it wasn't his call he certainly has to share a pretty large portion of the blame.

[roywhite]

Until yesterday, I figured that Williams would stick around until his contract ran out. However, going public with his defensive statements and getting the Maryland Athletic Department involved, then snapping back at their response, has shaken even his supporters (see the Mike Wise piece linked in the ACC Roundup). This combined with the prospect of not finishing in the middle of the ACC but towards the bottom with a bunch of empty seats at their games, has, IMO, set the ball in motion for his dismissal at the end of this year.
gw67

Seems to me that Gary, in his own way, is asking to get out.

I agree that Sean Miller would be a very good choice; really, this should be a very attractive opening. It might take a while to get going, but a new coach could have good fan support, plenty of media coverage, and a fertile natural recruiting area.

[allenmurray]

While I am no fan of Gary or Maryland and certainly not their fans. If you want to know who is to blame for the state of Maryland basketball it's Bob Wade. For those who don't know after he took the program to even lower depths after Len Bias died when he was shown the door he held a grudge. Any and every player he has run across in his new "career" in the Baltimore / DC metro area he has done everything in his power to steer AWAY from Maryland. Think about Dematha High, think about Carlmello Anthony and other players from that area.

I mean with UNC owning the state of North Carolina Duke has / had a hard time recruiting in state. But imagine how crazy it is when you are basically the only school in state and you can't recruit there!

Look say what you want about Gary, his conspiracy theories are insane at times. But due to Wade's world he IS and has been at a disadvantage in recuiting since he started. He got lucky with Blake and company staying for four years and winning a title. But even with the lower academic standards and the knowledge Maryland doesn't even care if you graduate at all Gary has been kind of handcuffed. Do I feel sorry for him? No. Do I want Maryland to fall flat on it's face and miss the NCAA's for another however many years and have to rebuild with someone other than Gary? Sure why not, one less ACC school to worry about. But I say this, as long as Wade holds his grudge whomever has the job will be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to recruiting. And like it or not, when Gary has gotten tallent he HAS won with it. Sure he's recruited some head case thug players. But nobody has ever made the claim Maryland "sellects" like they have said about Duke and UNC.

Bob Wade did serious damage to Md's program - no doubt. But it has been 19 years, back-to-back final fours, and a national championship since his departure. If Gary's accomplishments haven't been able to overcome Wade's meddling after two decades, Gary holds the blame as much as Wade.

And to think, when Lefty resigned they could have had Morgan Wooten and instead chose Bob Wade.

[diablesseblu]

I know I wouldn't play for this guy. I have never figured out why he yells at the bench the entire game. I noticed one of the head coaches that came from his system doing the same thing when we played them this year. Go figure. Go Duke!

And I would not want my son to play for him either.

Have witnessed Gary at his worst in public (in a hotel lobby before a game) berating his players for no apparent reason. The man appeared seriously unhinged.

And his public comments in the last few days do not reflect well on him as a teacher/role model for young men.

The tone deafness of his recent remarks (given Yow's loss) are simply mindboggling to me. Is there anyone at MD who can have a serious talk with this man? This is embarassing to the university.

[dukebluelemur]

Anyone else getting Lute Olsen flashbacks?

IF Gary hadnt been insane for years, I'd be wondering whether he needs to get a CAT scan.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I also like Stallings of Vandy

You leave Stallings out of this!

I'm a Vandy grad and like CKS quite a bit despite our incredibly young team's issues this year.

[greybeard]

What did Wade do to get himself fired? I recall it had something to do with his point guard, who was a marginal student and whom Wade arranged to be chauffered to class. Hardly a "hanging offense." If there was more, I'd be interested to know.

If this was the "big" infraction, and people were hating on Wade from the beginning (I recollect that he had some pretty entertaining players), then maybe it is understandable why Wade and perhaps others are still bitter.

Like I said, it'd be interesting to know, if anybody recollects.

[davekay1971]

He lost a lot of games.

[MChambers]

He lost a lot of games.

35-50, according to wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Wade_(basketball_coach)

Also NCAA violations. Maryland couldn't go to the tournament for at least one year.

[gw67]

greybeard - Wade broke the color barrier for basketball coaches in the ACC. He was hired by John Slaughter, the president of Maryland, based on the advice of a close friend, John Thompson, the coach of Georgetown. This angered the Athletic Department and alums. Wade recruited some good players but he was not particularly successful and the program was losing money. Slaughter left and Wade was left without support in the administraion, athletic department and among boosters. He broke some NCAA rules and got the school sanctioned (they didn't appear on TV for a couple of years, if memory serves). The AD, Perkins, got rid of him and hired Williams. By the way, Driesell and Wade didn't get along either and Wade directed some of his Dunbar kids to Georgetown.

The entire story is written up in Paul McMullen's book, "Tales from Cole Field House".

gw67

[Yet Another Devil Lawyer]

Here's a quote from a New York Times article about Bob Wade's recruiting violations:


One source said the main reason was that the N.C.A.A. believed the university showed a lack of institutional control from the time it hired Bob Wade, the former coach, without the benefit of a proper search, through the 18 violations committed during Wade's three seasons.

Among the more serious violations against Wade, the sources said, were providing a leased car, cash payments of $272 and rides for a former Terrapins guard, Rudy Archer, before, during and after his one-season stay; giving free and discounted clothing to Alonzo Mourning and Brian Williams while they were being recruited; providing false and misleading information to N.C.A.A. investigators, and trying to get his assistant coaches to provide false and misleading information.

Maryland was banned from television (and thus ACC and NCAA tournaments) for two years. The sanctions were viewed as incredibly harsh, especially since Maryland cooperated after Wade was fired. The contrast between the treatment of Maryland back then and Indiana last year is pretty stark.

What's happening to Gary feels like a familiar story -- a long-time coach loses his edge in recruiting and the program begins a long slide down hill. In some superficial ways, Gary's situation is similar to John Thompson's last years at Georgetown. Of course, Gary's delightfully flawed personality makes this version of the story more interesting to watch. Whoever mentioned the assistant coach turnover is correct. Losing Dave Dickerson (I think I've got the name right) as his main recruiter was huge. There's been other turnover, like Patsos and Hahn. While all succesful coaches lost assistants, the rate of loss has been high, and Gary doesn't appear to have managed the turnover as well as Coach K has, for example.

[calltheobvious]

Here's a quote from a New York Times article about Bob Wade's recruiting violations:



Maryland was banned from television (and thus ACC and NCAA tournaments) for two years. The sanctions were viewed as incredibly harsh, especially since Maryland cooperated after Wade was fired. The contrast between the treatment of Maryland back then and Indiana last year is pretty stark.

What's happening to Gary feels like a familiar story -- a long-time coach loses his edge in recruiting and the program begins a long slide down hill. In some superficial ways, Gary's situation is similar to John Thompson's last years at Georgetown. Of course, Gary's delightfully flawed personality makes this version of the story more interesting to watch. Whoever mentioned the assistant coach turnover is correct. Losing Dave Dickerson (I think I've got the name right) as his main recruiter was huge. There's been other turnover, like Patsos and Hahn. While all succesful coaches lost assistants, the rate of loss has been high, and Gary doesn't appear to have managed the turnover as well as Coach K has, for example.

I'd like to nominate one of our resident CBkB historians to do a book on the history of big-time NCAA sanctions, with all of the attendant, ah, inconsistencies. Hell, we could generate the chapter topics right here on the boards and then let some industrious soul go nuts with the research and writing. Jim, Olympic, you guys out there?

From this thread, and then a couple more:
Maryland 80s v. Indiana 2008
Kentucky 80s v. Cleveland St. 80s
SMU 1987 v. Alabama 90s and 00s

[Tom B.]

He lost a lot of games.


I think Wade's 1986-87 team is still the last team to go winless for a full season in ACC play. That was the season immediately after Len Bias died and Lefty resigned, so it's not really Wade's fault that the team was in disarray.

Maryland actually had a moderately decent year the following season, going 18-13 overall and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They cratered the next year, though, going 1-13 in conference and 9-20 overall. That plus the NCAA violations and sanctions got Wade canned.

[allenmurray]

Not to pile on Gary Williams , but I was a bit surprised by this comment in the "Our Call" of yesterday: His (Williams') personal behavior at times is not what one might like to see, but in fairness, that’s not necessarily work-related.

Part of the job of any high profile coach at a university of the stature of Maryland is to be the public face of the university. If it were just a 9-5 job, where you clocked in your 40 hours and went home, you wouldn't get millions of dollars in remuneration and be the highest paid employee of the school. Having your personal behavior reflect on your performance comes with the territory when you are in a position that high-profile.

[rockymtn devil]

I agreed with the Our Call on Gary yesterday. Twenty years ago he left a pretty good job in Columbus (even if it is a job that will always be second at that school) to coach his alma mater, which was not in good shape. Recruiting less heralded players, he put together competitive teams in both the ACC and the NCAA and eventually won the school its first national title.

Now, Gary has not taken advantage of that title in terms of building the program and instead views uses it exclusively as his ace-in-hole whenever he's backed against a wall. That's a problem. But he has been loyal and he has brought great success to the program. The loyalty and the national title do not dictate that Gary been named "coach for life" of the Terps. But, IMO, it does dictate that he been given the opportunity to restore the program to where he had it less than a decade ago. He deserves that.

[allenmurray]

I agreed with the Our Call on Gary yesterday. Twenty years ago he left a pretty good job in Columbus (even if it is a job that will always be second at that school) to coach his alma mater, which was not in good shape. Recruiting less heralded players, he put together competitive teams in both the ACC and the NCAA and eventually won the school its first national title.

Now, Gary has not taken advantage of that title in terms of building the program and instead views uses it exclusively as his ace-in-hole whenever he's backed against a wall. That's a problem. But he has been loyal and he has brought great success to the program. The loyalty and the national title do not dictate that Gary been named "coach for life" of the Terps. But, IMO, it does dictate that he been given the opportunity to restore the program to where he had it less than a decade ago. He deserves that.


While I am no GW fan, I also agree with the Our Call in general. It was that one particular line that I have issues with. Any coach at any high profile program (just like the president of the university) doesn't have the luxury of ducking out of responsibility for bad personal behavior because it took place during his "off time". Part of your responsibility in that position is to be the public face of the University. Fair? Maybe not. But nevertehless true.

[rockymtn devil]

While I am no GW fan, I also agree with the Our Call in general. It was that one particular line that I have issues with. Any coach at any high profile program (just like the president of the university) doesn't have the luxury of ducking out of responsibility for bad personal behavior because it took place during his "off time". Part of your responsibility in that position is to be the public face of the University. Fair? Maybe not. But nevertehless true.

I agree, and I think it is fair. That's the trade-off you take with a high-paying, high-profile job in any capacity.

[4decadedukie]

Great programs and great coaches are marked by consistent excellence; throughout long, multi-decade periods, they are always top-tier contenders. Additionally, they – and their teams – comport themselves with off-court excellence including fine academic achievement, superlative graduation rates, broad public spiritedness, unfailing public courtesy and decorum, and no loutish or criminal behavior.

This is why Coach Wooden (at UCLA), Coach K (at Duke), Coach Smith (at UNC-CH), and a handful of others are truly remarkable. Gary Williams erroneously believes his performance at Maryland warrants inclusion in this eminent group, and he is offended when he is not treated as a member of this august fraternity. The obvious problem is Gary's – and Maryland's – on- and off-court records simply do not measure up to this elevated standard. It is true that Williams’ Terps won a single national championship and had several fine years; unfortunately, that is not the type of consistent, enduring, and outstanding record of accomplishment required for top-echelon incorporation.

Williams would be wise to whine less and to work harder. He would be equally astute to stop acting as if membership in Division I’s parthenon of “superb coaches” was his “birthright.”

[weezie]

One of the local NPR stations in DC was discussing Gary and his issues with AD Debbie Yow today. Sally Jenkins of the WaPo nailed him with giving vent to his anger during the week when Yow was burying her sister, the late Kay Yow.

What was he thinking? On the one hand, maybe he deserves a little leeway, but on the other, he's an idiot.

[greybeard]

Thanks guys for the info surrounding Wade. I remember his relationship with Archer, who was supposed to be all that and more but didn't quite live up to the hype, although he was entertaining to watch and I remember thinking, "It's wrong to pick the kid up and drive him to class? How come?" The other offenses seem to me to be of the small variety that Wooden's friend in Westwood probably did all the time.

They slammed the guy that hard for that? Well, anyone replacing Lefty in the wake of Lenny and then Herman I suppose had to know that he'd be under a microscope.

Sent Reggie and Win(whatevertherestofitis) to JT? That's not just two players, that's a freakin NC. However, JT had Patrick and SLeepy, and BeBe and Shelton, with Sleepy as a rookie, darn near won it all themselves. Not sure how much steering was needed. Interesting story.

If the Alums were inhospitable to Wade from the go get, and Wade is still hurting the program, that sounds about right to me.

I read the entire interview linked to the article on the homepage here and it seems to me that Gary said nothing wrong. He said that the decision to give Gilchrist a release from his commitment was due to the fact that the kid decided he would not attend Maryland; that decision was based upon the kid's insistence that Gary give a job to the kid's AAU coach. Good for Gary. If the AAD publicly criticized Gary for not playing the correction police by refusing the release, I think she is an idiot and does not belong in her job.

He also took responsibility for refusing to sign Evans, again a righteous call, in my book.

I am not familiar with the on Call thing; was there more? The AAD and her boss, if they saw his comments as accusing them of having forced him into those decisions, I saw nothing of that in the linked interview.

It will be interesting to see whom the trustees can. I can't see them canning the AD and AAD because of the political correctness issues and because GW probably ain't worth the heat. But, as a straight up right and wrong, I think what I've read says that the two of them went way over the top in going to the press on this. A real mess and I think that it will mean the end of Gary at Maryland. In a way, he seems ready.

[diesel]

You live and you learn. I just found out something important from the Diamondback Online, which I have always regarded as one of the better student media. It’s from a comment by one Warren Greenberg on the 1/29/09 column: “Get Gary Gone” by Jeremy Cohen.

According to Greenberg:
"I suppose the fact that the U of MD admission standards and tuition are incredibly high compared to Duke's, North Carolina's and Wake Forest's have nothing to do with Gary Williams inability to attract local talent; …
And speaking of academic programs, when's the last time you heard someone bragging about being a graduate of Duke's Medical School…
Sure, Duke graduates a high percentage of their student athletes, but they're standards are nowhere near as high as the University of Maryland's requirements."

This explains why the Terps really do need to replace their slogan “Fear the Turtle!” by “Fear the Classroom!” And oh the waste of money required to get us those Duke degrees! This Duke alum for one now realizes that compared to the University of Maryland products he needs remedial English so he can match they’re standards!

[Virginian]

You live and you learn. I just found out something important from the Diamondback Online, which I have always regarded as one of the better student media. It’s from a comment by one Warren Greenberg on the 1/29/09 column: “Get Gary Gone” by Jeremy Cohen.

According to Greenberg:
"I suppose the fact that the U of MD admission standards and tuition are incredibly high compared to Duke's, North Carolina's and Wake Forest's have nothing to do with Gary Williams inability to attract local talent; …
And speaking of academic programs, when's the last time you heard someone bragging about being a graduate of Duke's Medical School…
Sure, Duke graduates a high percentage of their student athletes, but they're standards are nowhere near as high as the University of Maryland's requirements."

This explains why the Terps really do need to replace their slogan “Fear the Turtle!” by “Fear the Classroom!” And oh the waste of money required to get us those Duke degrees! This Duke alum for one now realizes that compared to the University of Maryland products he needs remedial English so he can match they’re standards!

This actually is a constant refrain among Md. fans. They have replaced (or at least added to) the old "Duke gets all the calls" whine with the firmly held belief that "Duke gets all the good players because they let anyone into the school, unlike Md., where we have to live with unbelievably high academic standards."

Who knew Gary was so saddled with such an impossible recruiting task?

[Capn Poptart]

His trademark is his rants during games which are uttered in the direction of some poor reserve or assistant coach on the bench.

Yeah, I love that! He's enraged and he's yelling at some guy who got in for like two minutes early in the season in the Towson game. It's like screaming at your bewildered dog every day because the cable keeps going out. I'd really miss that.

[4decadedukie]

According to Greenberg:
"I suppose the fact that the U of MD admission standards and tuition are incredibly high compared to Duke's, North Carolina's and Wake Forest's have nothing to do with Gary Williams inability to attract local talent; …
And speaking of academic programs, when's the last time you heard someone bragging about being a graduate of Duke's Medical School…
Sure, Duke graduates a high percentage of their student athletes, but they're standards are nowhere near as high as the University of Maryland's requirements."

I suspect Greenberg's polemic is a failed attempt at humor . . . no, that would require intelligence, subtlety and sophistication, all of which are sadly absent in College Park.

[sagegrouse]

Guys:

You are being scornful of a major state university that offers opportunities nowhere seen at an elite private school. Consider the following U. of Maryland College Park majors apparently unavailable to Duke students (no, I didn't search the Duke course catalogue):

Agricultural General
American Studies
Animal Sciences: Equine Studies
Animal Sciences: Laboratory Animal Care
Art Education
Communication
Community Health
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Dance
Dietetics
Early Childhood Education
Education (Teacher:Undecided)
Elementary Education
Family Science
Fire Protection Engineering
Food Science
Foreign Language Education
Hearing and Speech Sciences
Horticulture and Crop Production
Individual Studies
Kinesiological Sciences
Landscape Architecture
Landscape Management
Letters and Sciences (advising for undecided students, prior to picking a degree-granting program)
Music: Education
Natural Resources Management
Nutritional Sciences
Physical Education
Physical Sciences
Plant Sciences
Science Education
Social Studies Education
Soil and Watershed Science
Turf and Golf Course Management
Urban Forestry

sagegrouse
'The biggest surprise to me was Fire Protection Engineering. Who knew?'

[diesel]

And to think I initially wondered whether other State schools, like Maryland, have annual fees in the range of Duke’s 50K!

The possibility did occur to me, however, that Greenberg might be a budding satirist trying to emulate, say, Swift’s "Modest Proposal" to solve the Irish poverty problem in the 18th Century by selling children as food for the rich.

But then Greenberg’s grasp of grammar brought me to my senses. I know Swift’s writing. To adapt someone else’s phrase, Greenberg, you’re no Jonathan Swift!

[blublood]

I don't understand this paragraph:

"The 6-3 Evans, averaging 12.8 points for Kent State, was also due to be a Terp. Worthington said Williams terminated Evans' recruitment after learning details of the former community college player's troubled past.

"Gary made the final decision to withdraw an offer of aid to Tyree and personally called the Office of Student Affairs to inform them he was no longer recruiting Tyree Evans because Tyree had not disclosed all of the criminal issues he'd had in his past," she said. "Gary became upset that Tyree hadn't disclosed everything."

Why was Gary relying on a student to "tell him everything about his past"? Isn't that what background checks are for? Didn't Gary or the Office of Admissions run a background check on the kid even if he was a 'special admit' or whatever?

And if he *didn't* run a background check when he was most likely required to by state law, then why does he then have the right to kick a player out for lying to him? I mean, if you don't verify the information yourself, then you - legally, I would think - are bound to not complain or punish if something comes up that you failed to verify.

This all just sounds very shady. It sounds like no one has had any oversight whatsoever over who Gary recruits or what he offers them, and that is not a good situation for a university funded by taxpayers.

[roywhite]

I don't understand this paragraph:

"The 6-3 Evans, averaging 12.8 points for Kent State, was also due to be a Terp. Worthington said Williams terminated Evans' recruitment after learning details of the former community college player's troubled past.

"Gary made the final decision to withdraw an offer of aid to Tyree and personally called the Office of Student Affairs to inform them he was no longer recruiting Tyree Evans because Tyree had not disclosed all of the criminal issues he'd had in his past," she said. "Gary became upset that Tyree hadn't disclosed everything."

Why was Gary relying on a student to "tell him everything about his past"? Isn't that what background checks are for? Didn't Gary or the Office of Admissions run a background check on the kid even if he was a 'special admit' or whatever?

And if he *didn't* run a background check when he was most likely required to by state law, then why does he then have the right to kick a player out for lying to him? I mean, if you don't verify the information yourself, then you - legally, I would think - are bound to not complain or punish if something comes up that you failed to verify.

This all just sounds very shady. It sounds like no one has had any oversight whatsoever over who Gary recruits or what he offers them, and that is not a good situation for a university funded by taxpayers.

The Tyree Evans story is a long one. Suffice it to say that there was plenty of baggage that was commonly known about Evans, and many schools wouldn't even consider him. There was plenty of heat on Gary and UMd for even recruiting him, and then more details surfaced about previous problems. It was just the last straw, even for Gary.

[jv001]

gary is grasping for straws in that he's trying to blame anyone and everyone on md's poor play. The team he's putting on the floor just cannot compete with the above average teams in the ACC. He has not recruited the players necessary to win. He either is a liar or has a bad memory when it comes to the recruitment of Evans. No one wanted him because of his past trangressions off the court. Gary is now trying to blame the whole mess on the AD and the Asst. AD. I believe Gary's days are numbered and deserved. Go Duke!

[flyingdutchdevil]

gary is grasping for straws in that he's trying to blame anyone and everyone on md's poor play. The team he's putting on the floor just cannot compete with the above average teams in the ACC. He has not recruited the players necessary to win. He either is a liar or has a bad memory when it comes to the recruitment of Evans. No one wanted him because of his past trangressions off the court. Gary is now trying to blame the whole mess on the AD and the Asst. AD. I believe Gary's days are numbered and deserved. Go Duke!

So true! What I love is that he probably thinks that blaming others will save him his job. Buddy - news flash: it will probably have the opposite effect!

[roywhite]

So true! What I love is that he probably thinks that blaming others will save him his job. Buddy - news flash: it will probably have the opposite effect!

Maybe so, but my take is that Gary is (perhaps unconsciously, perhaps consciously) trying to get fired. He realizes that the end is near, and he'd rather go down in flames than step aside quietly.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Maybe so, but my take is that Gary is (perhaps unconsciously, perhaps consciously) trying to get fired. He realizes that the end is near, and he'd rather go down in flames than step aside quietly.

I tend to disagree. Gary is an extremely emotional and proud guy and someone who would speak his mind to defend his honour. Also, he is a UMD grad who spent 20 years coaching the program. Also, if he gets fired, he would no doubt have to take a step down in terms of the caliber of the team he coaches. My guess would be a mid-major, but I wouldn't rule out Bama or UGA (or the next big name to get fired)

[bjornolf]

I hadn't heard anything about this, but the junkies here on DC radio are close to Gary and have friends in the program. They heard from friends that a select group of boosters had turned against Gary and that Yow had the money for the buyout if she decided to pull the trigger. Whether it'll happen or not, who knows? But that doesn't sound good. They also have the former governor of Maryland on all the time, and he has connections in the program. He claims that nothing he's heard of indicates that it'll happen, and he says that it's only a small minority of boosters that are against him, but that Yow is highly unlikely to resign him in a couple years when his contract is up. All that's hearsay, of course, but it certainly sounds like something's going on. We'll see.

[4decadedukie]

Today's Washington Times reports that Williams is now publically arguing with his players, in addition to university officials: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/ (http://http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/)

[allenmurray]

Today's Washington Times reports that Williams is now publically arguing with his players, in addition to university officials: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/ (http://http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/)

I couldn't get your link to work. I went to the Washtimes site and found the article. I'm just trying again.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/

[roywhite]

I couldn't get your link to work. I went to the Washtimes site and found the article. I'm just trying again.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/02/terps-guard-questions-playing-time/

Thanks to both for the story and the link...the original link didn't work for me, either.

Isn't Cliff Tucker the guy that made some comments last year as a new Terrapin about how he had always hated Duke and looked forward to beating them?

Cliff, how has that worked out for you?

[gw67]

The Washington Post blog for Maryland football/basketball states that Yow said that Williams is in no danger of losing his job.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/

This sounds like the baseball GM's who give their manager a vote of confidence and then fire them a week later.

gw67

[mddukefan]

I personally think Cliff Tucker is a pretty good player but there are only so many minutes to go around. The article talks about how Adrian Bowie took his starting spot. IMO since Bowie has been playing well, the kid is in a tough situation. Mosely has also emerged in the backcourt and made difference in the starting lineup last game against Miami. Mosely reminds of a David McClure type player because he does so many of the little things. Even though I cannot stand Maryland, I can understand Tucker being upset. I just don't think much will change for him this season because the 4 guys in front of him are doing their jobs right now. He probably would have been better off making that statement after a game they lost. Doing it after a win comes off a little more selfish. Just another bump in the road for Gary Williams to deal with right now.

If they have a tough time at Chapel Hill this week, things are only going to get worse for Gary...

[jv001]

If they have a tough time at Chapel Hill this week, things are only going to get worse for Gary...

This will be the only time I root for md this year. Well maybe again Feb 21st. Go Duke!

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

John Feinstein is chatting about Gary and the Terps today at 11am.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/01/30/DI2009013003105.html

[4decadedukie]

Last night’s UNC-CH/UMd game was quite illuminating, in my opinion.

Carolina’s offensive prowess – and especially their perimeter/three-ball shooting in the fist-half – was almost breathtaking. However, where was the Tarheel’s defense, in aggregate permitting Maryland to score 90+ points? Further – given today’s’ unsurprising news re Ginyard and Graves – can their defense become decisive and credible during the next month, and what about depth: bench scoring, potential injuries, physical and mental weariness, and so forth?

Maryland, I believe, played their best game in some weeks, but their impassioned offense was belied by missing and essential fundamentals, especially “virtually no” defense (100+ UNC points).