Maryland random thoughts

[whereinthehellami]

With the off-season upon us I thought we would look at each ACC team and throw out some random thoughts about each school. I thought we would start at the top of the ACC and go from there. Keep it flame free and maybe even get some of the fans from the other schools to weigh in. It doesn't have to be all Bball related but that should be focus.

UVA (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1331) and UNC (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1252) were previously looked at.

Lets take a look at Maryland:


Were picked 7th in the pre-season polls and finished third, so they had a good year.



They lose 3 starters; Strawberry (6-5), Jones (6-5), and Ibekwe (6-9) whom formed the heart and toughness of the team.



They also lose P. Brown (6-1) and Bowers (7-1), who only saw around 10 MPG but spent 4 years in Williams's system and could be counted on for some limited duty.



Gist (6-8) is their best returning player and has improved each year that he has been at Maryland and is a potentiall All-ACC player (12.6 ppg, 7.2 rbg, 54% fg%, 71 ft%, 43% 3pt) .



Stawberry and Ibekwe made the 1st team All-ACC Defensive team last season.



Vasquez (6-5) and Hayes (6-3) looked good this year because of the athletic seniors and are going to struggle next year as the team tries to establish a new identity.



Braxton Dupree (RSCI, 66) is their highest rated recruit at 6-8 and could help as they are thin in the frontcourt.



Their football team suprised the ACC last season and won 9 games, 6 of them by 17 total points.



Their football team returns 9 on offense and 7 on defense, though they lost their starter at quarterback (Hollenbach).



Portis (QB), a transfer from Florida is in the mix to replace Hollenbach.



Could Williams (basketball) and Friedgen (football) be any more different as coaches?

[Patrick Yates]

Due to the relative weakness of the league next year compared to this year, Maryland might only drop 1 or even 2 places in conference this year. Still that could be the difference between NIT and NCAA.

They are thin at the guard. While Hayes and Vasquez looked OK on Offense, their D leaves a lot to be desired. Losing a stopper like Straw will hurt. Also, I want to see how Vasquez and Hayes do on offense without one of their senior backcourt mates (now departed) to serve as a release valve.

Gist will be OK, but he was inconsistent this year (more good than bad), but he will be the focus of opposition D next year. Much of their Depth from this year is gone. Also, many of the seniors, even the non-starters, were key role players by helping at practice and integrating new players into the system.

Next year is a teaching year for Gary, he has to get the team acclimated to his flex O, and I think there will be some problems.

I predict 4-8 finish next year, with 5 or below being out of the NCAAs, and 4 being no guarantee. I see Duke, UNC, Clemson as being definitely better than them, with NCSU (if they can find an answer at PG) and GT (would definitely be better if everyone comes back, probably leading to 5 acc teams in the NCAAs) probably being better than UMD. I think VT and BC take huge steps back next year, as will UVA. FSU, UM, and WFU will continue to be the bottom of the conference next year.

I'd say that this is comeupance for Gary, but 3 out of 4 years being bad to dissappointing is not comeupance. It is a trend.

Patrick Yates

[rjbatzler]

*The losses are tough for the Terps but they shouldn't drop too much due to the loss of talent across the league.
*I think Gist will continue to improve and have a big year.
*I'm impressed by the scoring and passion of Vasquez even though he's not a very good defender and tends to get in foul trouble.
*The loss of Strawberry will hurt their fastbreak.
*Hayes will see more minutes and may be a key scorer.
*Osby (or maybe just his fro) will be a fan favorite and he is a good role player.
*Maybe it's just me but it seems Gary has been able to get a lot out of recruits that might not be highly rated.
*It looks like the Terps won't lose too much ground in the ACC and might even gain some depending on how the recruits play and how the returning players adjust with the loss of 3 key players.

Here's hoping we can sweep the Twerps this season!

[ACCBBallFan]

One thing the Terps have going for them next year is the unbalaced ACC Schedule. Looking only at the teams ACC teams play twice and not at home versus away on the ones they play once,

GT has the easiest schedule with Clemson,UVA, Va T, Miami and Wake.

MD has the next easiest schedule with Duke, UVA, BC, VA T and Wake.

Va T is third easiest with GA T, MD, UVA, BC and Wake.

Then BC with UNC, MD, UVA, VA T and Miami

FSU has UNC, NCS, Clemson, Miami and Wake.

Wake has GA T, NCS, MD, FSU and VA T.

Everybody else has relatively even unbalanced ACC Schedules with Clemson again having the toughest: UNC, GA T, NCS, FSU and Miami.

Duke BTW has UNC, NCS, MD, UVA and Miami
UNC has Duke, NCS, Clemson, FSU and BC
NCS has UNC, Duke, Clemson, FSU and Wake for second toughest.

So the teams losing the most have some of the easier ACC unbalanced schedules.

[gw67]

Next year will be a transition year for the Terps. They lost a bunch of points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals through graduation. They will be a very young team – 2 seniors, 1 junior, 3 sophs and 5 freshmen (1 redshirt), and Williams will need to find the 8-9 players who play well together. The core of the team will be returnees Gist, Vasquez and Hayes. I expect Bowie to back up Vasquez and Hayes at guard, Milbourne to start at wing, Gregory to back up Gist and some combination of Osby, Dupree and Burney to play center. The team will have good size and will have the players to run on offense and potentially play good defense.

Gist has improved each of the three years he has played. Last year he developed some back-to-the-basket moves to go with a mid-range jump shot and, late in the year, he also showed a nice three-point stroke. I look for him to average 15-18 ppg. As rising sophs, I expect both Vasquez and Hayes to be improved. As frosh they were good ballhandlers and passers, and they were decent on defense. Vasquez is an aggressive player and he should average 12-13 ppg while Hayes should up his points and assists to say, 8-9 ppg and 5-6 apg. All three players should be solid ACC players.

Bowie is similar to many of the support players (Davis, Brickey) that Duke used to get. He is heady, a good ballhandler and passer, is terrific driving to the hoop and he is a good defensive player. He was the point guard and teammate of Durant and Vasquez for Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian. I expect him to be a solid contributor by mid-season.

Milbourne is a 6-7 soph who could not break into last year’s perimeter rotation. The couple of times I saw him, he reminded me of UNC’s Terry as a freshman/soph. He is a good run/jump player, an aggressive rebounder and has the reputation for being a good shooter. He played at Oak Hill and was considered a good prospect. He is probably the biggest question mark on next year’s team.

Osby surprised many last year and had several good games off the bench. He may begin the season as the starting center but he is undersized and I suspect that Dupree will play a bunch of minutes as will Burney. Dupree is the Terps center of the future and is compared to Lonnie Baxter as a freshman while Burney has a reputation as an outstanding shot blocker.

If the Terps were in the MVC, I would predict that they would be one of the top three teams and have an outside chance at an NCAA bid. Alas, they play in the ACC. Even with a weakened ACC and a favorable schedule, I expect them to finish in the bottom middle (6-8). I don’t see this as bad trend. In 2008-9, I would expect them to improve.

gw67

[whereinthehellami]

Braxton Dupree is their only recruit in the RSCI (66) and he slipped 20 spots (46) from the previous RSCI rankings. He is listed as ~ 6-8 and 265 lbs. He sounds like a Lonnie Baxter type, good low post scorer. Hurt his ankle pretty good before the Capitol Classic and will be out for awhile.

Shane Walker is ~ 6-9, 235 lbs, and a decent athlete with a reported limited offensive game at this point in his career. Doesn't sound like he will have much of an impact next year for the Terps.

Maryland also signed Adrian Bowie (6-2), Dino Gregory (6-7), and Cliff Tucker (6-6) but they aren't highly ranked. They sound like typical Maryland recruits. Bowie and Tucker are athletic and Gregory is more of a low block scorer. They are all described as tough and coachable.

[gw67]

I don’t put a lot of faith in the recruiting rankings except for the top 20 players or so. Neither Vasquez nor Hayes were highly ranked and they were able to compete at a high level as freshmen. I expect that 2007 recruits Bowie, Dupree and Gregory will log lots of playing time next year as will redshirt freshman, Burney. All are expected to be solid players in time but like, many freshmen, they need experience. I’ve seen Bowie play and he is a consistent jump shot away from being a good player from the get go. If Milbourne has trouble at the beginning of the season, I would expect Williams to insert Bowie into the starting lineup and play three guards like this past year. Similarly, Dupree needs time to develop but I expect that he will get starter-like minutes as the year progresses.

I understand that the Terps are still trying to recruit Lucas and another wing player. The upshot of this will probably be a rocky year this coming season but improvement the following year as these youngsters mature.

gw67

[whereinthehellami]

Starters
Hayes 6-3 SO
Vasquesz 6-5 SO
Milbourne 6-7 SO
Gist 6-8 SR
Osby 6-8 SO

Bench(10 MPG or more)
Dupree 6-8 FR
Neal 6-7 JR
Bowie 6-2 FR


Hayes averaged 23 MPG last year and shot 91% from the FT



Vasquez averaged almost 30 MPG and scored ~ 10 PPG last year.



Gist averaged almost 30 MPG, scored ~ 13 PPG, and had ~ 7 RPG.



Milbourne only saw ~ 5MPG (talent dropoff) but is an athlete and energy guy.



Osby showed some flashes of being a load down low in his ~ 13 MPG last year.



Dupree is an athlete with good hands and should get at least 10 MPG due to frontcourt needs.



Neal will be a junior and could get ~ 10 MPG as he has size and goes hard at it.



Bowie is an athlete with some speed and toughness so he will probably get his share of minutes despite being limited on the offensive side.


Gist and Vasquez are solid but there are going to be some serious scoring droughts and there are some real depth issues. Not a very scary looking team on paper but I'm sure they will be scrappy and athletic.

[whereinthehellami]

Home Games
Duke - L
UVA - W
BC - W
VT - W
WF - W
CU - L
FSU - W
NCS - L

Away Games
Duke - L
UVA -L
BC - W
VT - L
WF - W
GT- L
Mia - W
UNC - L

That would put Maryland at 8-8 which seems about right. They did luck out some with having BC, VT, and WF as their rotating partners.

[gw67]

You are being very kind to the Terps in your prediction. Like you, I see them losing to Duke, Clemson and NC State at home and Duke, UNC, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Virginia Tech on the road. I also figure that they lose another on the road, say Miami, to finish at 7-9. Defections to the NBA don't impact this prediction, IMO.

Don't know their OOC schedule for next year but they play in tourney that the Devils played in this year so they should have 15 OOC games provided they get to Kansas City in that tourney. If they win 10-11 OOC games they should have a winning record next year.

The school site states that the wing player, Tucker, that they were recruiting has signed an LOI (see link),

http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041307aac.html

This provides the Terps with more depth on the perimeter.

gw67

[whereinthehellami]

You are being very kind to the Terps in your prediction. Like you, I see them losing to Duke, Clemson and NC State at home and Duke, UNC, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Virginia Tech on the road. I also figure that they lose another on the road, say Miami, to finish at 7-9. Defections to the NBA don't impact this prediction, IMO.

I agree about them possibly losing another one on the road but I could also see them beating VT on the road, which I had as a loss. Maryland at least has a decent backcourt and if Gist turns into an All-ACC type player they got a shot at 8-9 wins.

[just_wondering]

Home Games
Duke - L
UVA - W
BC - W
VT - W
WF - W
CU - L
FSU - W
NCS - L

Away Games
Duke - L
UVA -L
BC - W
VT - L
WF - W
GT- L
Mia - W
UNC - L

That would put Maryland at 8-8 which seems about right. They did luck out some with having BC, VT, and WF as their rotating partners.

Last year Maryland went 6-0 against Tobacco Road while winning 5 of those games convincingly. I don't see them flipping from 6-0 to 2-4. Maybe 3-3 but more likely they will go 4-2 or 5-1. Until the Tobacco road teams demonstrate that they can stop Vasquez and Hayes from penetrating I can't see them dominating Maryland.

[ACCBBallFan]

Last year Maryland went 6-0 against Tobacco Road while winning 5 of those games convincingly. I don't see them flipping from 6-0 to 2-4. Maybe 3-3 but more likely they will go 4-2 or 5-1. Until the Tobacco road teams demonstrate that they can stop Vasquez and Hayes from penetrating I can't see them dominating Maryland.Vasquez, Hayes and Gist plus Osby had something to do with that but so did guys named D J Strawberry, Mike Jones, Ibekwe and Bowers. Under the circumstances, 2-4 or 3-3 would be pretty darn good, but Gary bought you too many drinks if you are thinking 5-1 or even 4-2.

Just talking victories, not dominating margin.

[Bob Green]

Maryland is so insignificant I can't even understand why we are discussing them.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[just_wondering]

Vasquez, Hayes and Gist plus Osby had something to do with that but so did guys named D J Strawberry, Mike Jones, Ibekwe and Bowers. Under the circumstances, 2-4 or 3-3 would be pretty darn good, but Gary bought you too many drinks if you are thinking 5-1 or even 4-2.

Just talking victories, not dominating margin.

Three teams with different vulnerabilities. Duke had slow guards and no inside game. NC State lacked a point guard. Maryland lacked consistent effort. Even though Maryland lost good players they are a stronger team than they were last year because they closed the effort gap. I don't think that Duke will have a much of an inside game or that State has a good enough point guard to justify thinking that they can win on the road in the ACC.

[whereinthehellami]

Three teams with different vulnerabilities. Duke had slow guards and no inside game. NC State lacked a point guard. Maryland lacked consistent effort. Even though Maryland lost good players they are a stronger team than they were last year because they closed the effort gap. I don't think that Duke will have a much of an inside game or that State has a good enough point guard to justify thinking that they can win on the road in the ACC.

Just_wondering did some digging for this thread. How many pages back was it?

Anyways as far as effort went, Stawberry seemed to be the heart and soul of the team when it came to effort. I don't know how easy that will be to replace. Wasn't it a knock on Gist that his motor wasn't always on? I still think Maryland will come in around 8-9 wins but mostly due to the weakness of the ACC.

UNC 13-3
Duke 11-5
Clemson 10-6
NCSU 10-6
MD 9-7
UVA 9-7
FSU 7-9
Miami 7-9
VT 7-9
GT 6-10
BC 4-12
Wake 3-13

[just_wondering]

Just_wondering did some digging for this thread. How many pages back was it?

Anyways as far as effort went, Stawberry seemed to be the heart and soul of the team when it came to effort. I don't know how easy that will be to replace. Wasn't it a knock on Gist that his motor wasn't always on? I still think Maryland will come in around 8-9 wins but mostly due to the weakness of the ACC.

UNC 13-3
Duke 11-5
Clemson 10-6
NCSU 10-6
MD 9-7
UVA 9-7
FSU 7-9
Miami 7-9
VT 7-9
GT 6-10
BC 4-12
Wake 3-13

I really enjoyed your series of articles. I think that your analysis is well done. I was disappointed that you had Maryland dropping back a little bit this year. I've read other preseason predictions and by and large they agree with your assessment. I waited until I heard good things about well Landon Milborne was progressing before speaking up. That I take your opinions very seriously is nothing but a compliment.

[whereinthehellami]

I really enjoyed your series of articles. I think that your analysis is well done. I was disappointed that you had Maryland dropping back a little bit this year. I've read other preseason predictions and by and large they agree with your assessment. I waited until I heard good things about well Landon Milborne was progressing before speaking up. That I take your opinions very seriously is nothing but a compliment.

Thanks. I enjoy hearing about the other ACC teams, especially from fans of those schools. So what have you heard about Milbourne?

[merry]

We're probably going to have to wait a couple more minutes for j_w's reply...at least until stage 14 of the TDF is over!

I have to agree I am not sure how Maryland goes from winning them all in the Triangle to losing. Losing a bunch of seniors is a big deal but theose seniors were never very consistent performers. I do think the Terps will struggle more with the Pack than they did last season.

[mcdukie]

We can critique Maryland all we want, all I will say is that they have had our number the past few seasons. They look like they should fall off but I will believe it when I see it. Bowie will be solid but not a star and I will be interested to see what Hayes does without Strawberry. The one problem they will give us right away is who will guard Gist? I hear he is looking very good and has worked on his offense.

[just_wondering]

Thanks. I enjoy hearing about the other ACC teams, especially from fans of those schools. So what have you heard about Milbourne?

Milbourne hardly ever played last year. He was so nailed to the bench that you had to wonder if he was going to transfer. Gary admitted that he had made a mistake playing DJ all the time. He told Landon at the end of the season that he was expecting him to start and to prosper the next year. Landon has had a strong summer. He has the offensive skills but has to learn not to try and do too much all at once

Replacing Terps

Ibekwe's shot blocking: Burney if he stays healthy and Shane Walker (project but recruited by same guy who recruited Green and Hibbert for GU)

Jones: Hayes and Bowie

Strawberry offense: Tucker and Milborne

Strawberry defense: Tucker and Bowie

Adding to last year: Braxton Dupree scoring on the inside

Missing from last year: a stopper on defense. The hope is that either Bowie or Tucker will take on that role.

I think a much better offensive team -- two play making guards and three guys who want to score inside. I hope improved free throw shooting. They need to learn how to play ACC caliber defense.

I don't think that this Maryland team has stars but it has all the right parts. On paper it probably doesn't compare to the underacheiving Caner-Medley, Gilchrist team. But the parts fit better and they have that edge. Chuckie Driesell wants to prove himself as a recruiter. Michael Adams wants to prove himself as a good position coach. Dave Neal waited and waited to get a scholarship offer from an ACC team. Maryland took him as an after thought. I think that he will typify the type of effort and the higher basketball IQ that this team will bring to the court.

[just_wondering]

We're probably going to have to wait a couple more minutes for j_w's reply...at least until stage 14 of the TDF is over!

I have to agree I am not sure how Maryland goes from winning them all in the Triangle to losing. Losing a bunch of seniors is a big deal but theose seniors were never very consistent performers. I do think the Terps will struggle more with the Pack than they did last season.

And what a stage it was. If only FOX would hire Phil Liggett as an announcer. [I think that the Blue Devils have delivered a decisive body blow to the Tar Heels. We'll see if they or anybody can recover from that ...]

[mapei]

Duke dug into its suitcase of courage and performed like a man with four legs!

[ACCBBallFan]

Three teams with different vulnerabilities. Duke had slow guards and no inside game. NC State lacked a point guard. Maryland lacked consistent effort. Even though Maryland lost good players they are a stronger team than they were last year because they closed the effort gap. I don't think that Duke will have a much of an inside game or that State has a good enough point guard to justify thinking that they can win on the road in the ACC.
It will be interesting to see how whoever NC State and GA Tech come up with at PG can compete with a strong ACC group of PGs.

My guess is Singletary and Lawson make first team ACC, another 2 second team with Rice and Paulus, and then maybe another two make 3rd team ACC or Honorable mention with Vasquez and Ish Smith or Toney Douglas or Hammonds

Also why I think NC State and GA Tech cannot challenge UNC for first place with no proven PG (nor do Miami and VA Tech) while 8 teams have pretty good PGs,

This year's ACC PGs are not as good overall as 2004-2005 with Felton, Jack, Paul, Gilchrist, Vernon Hamilton, Atsur, Singletary, FSU's Galloway, Dockery and Ewing weren't bad, Miami trio Diaz-Hite-Harris, and VA Tech's Dowdell/Gordon.

BC's Hinnant may not have been in ACC yet then, but just about everybody in ACC that year had good to very good or better PGs.

On your point about Duke having slow guards, you are right that last year Duke did not match up well with Paulus and Scheyer taking on Vasquez, Hayes and Strawberry.

This year though if coach K decides to, he can go with Paulus-Nelson-Smith-Henderdson to nullify the MD advantage. Most ACC teams do not have the trio of guard speed that MD had last year. So Jon Scheyer will get his share of PT.

Are those ESPN roster weights right for Dave Neal 6'7"-260 and Osby 6'8" 255? Looks about right for Osby but I don't recall seeing Neal. Gist of course would be the primary forward at 6'8" and very athletic.

Saying combinations of players make up for the loss of someone only works if they are both on the floor at same time.

Always good to learn more about ACC teams though - thanks for sharing.

Sounds like if this guy Milbourne or one of the others mentioned come through Gary might be able to field a pretty good 5 or 6, but like NC State last year, no margin for error if foul trouble or injuries happen.

What do you see the starting lineup and rotations being? If they are what was listed on page one, with Vasques-Hayes-Milbourne-Gist-Osby, a lot of the answers to replacing seniors Bowie-Tucker-Dupree-Burney are on the bench. My guess is it will take the 5 freshmen saome time to learn Gary's flex, but Vasquez and Hayes seem to have caught on quickly last year.

Early in the thread, wherethehellami posted that Stawberry and Ibekwe made the 1st team All-ACC Defensive team last season. That also contributed a lot to MD runs on Offense.

With less defense, less offense, and freshmen-Soph inexperience, IMO MD ends up in middle of ACC this year, similar to Duke last year but with lower ranked players which is not an end all but often indicative.

[whereinthehellami]

Sounds like if this guy Milbourne or one of the others mentioned come through Gary might be able to field a pretty good 5 or 6, but like NC State last year, no margin for error if foul trouble or injuries happen.

Good point about depth. I think alot of teams in the ACC are going to have that problem this year. Even though Duke has some glaring frontcourt issues, they have some talent and depth at other positions, which is why i think they will challenge for 2nd place in the ACC when all is said and done.

[gw67]

I’m not as optimistic as j_w but I will supplement his views with an opinion and some inputs from a recent radio interview with Williams:

IMO, Maryland’s strengths this coming year will be inside play from Gist and point guard play from Vasquez and Hayes. They have the potential to be a very good defensive team but I suspect that they won’t come together until late in the year and will finish in the bottom middle of the ACC (say 6-8th place).

Their principal weaknesses will be (1) inexperience at small forward and on the bench, and (2) offense, particularly perimeter shooting and at the center position. These problems can be somewhat remedied by the freshmen (Dupree, Gregory, Bowie and Tucker) and the inexperienced soph (Milbourne) but there are a lot of question marks with these youngsters.

Based on my limited observations, Bowie (defense and ball handling) and Milbourne (outside shooting and rebounding) have the games to be ACC quality players in time. Williams seems enthused about the freshmen. He believes that Dupree will develop into a very good center and that Tucker is very similar to Strawberry as a freshmen (6-5 guard who likes to play defense). He also made the point that Gregory, a 6-6 power forward, is one of the most fundamentally sound players to enter Maryland during his tenure.

gw67

[just_wondering]

It will be interesting to see how whoever NC State and GA Tech come up with at PG can compete with a strong ACC group of PGs.

My guess is Singletary and Lawson make first team ACC, another 2 second team with Rice and Paulus, and then maybe another two make 3rd team ACC or Honorable mention with Vasquez and Ish Smith or Toney Douglas or Hammonds

Also why I think NC State and GA Tech cannot challenge UNC for first place with no proven PG (nor do Miami and VA Tech) while 8 teams have pretty good PGs,

This year's ACC PGs are not as good overall as 2004-2005 with Felton, Jack, Paul, Gilchrist, Vernon Hamilton, Atsur, Singletary, FSU's Galloway, Dockery and Ewing weren't bad, Miami trio Diaz-Hite-Harris, and VA Tech's Dowdell/Gordon.

BC's Hinnant may not have been in ACC yet then, but just about everybody in ACC that year had good to very good or better PGs.

On your point about Duke having slow guards, you are right that last year Duke did not match up well with Paulus and Scheyer taking on Vasquez, Hayes and Strawberry.

This year though if coach K decides to, he can go with Paulus-Nelson-Smith-Henderdson to nullify the MD advantage. Most ACC teams do not have the trio of guard speed that MD had last year. So Jon Scheyer will get his share of PT.

Are those ESPN roster weights right for Dave Neal 6'7"-260 and Osby 6'8" 255? Looks about right for Osby but I don't recall seeing Neal. Gist of course would be the primary forward at 6'8" and very athletic.

Saying combinations of players make up for the loss of someone only works if they are both on the floor at same time.

Always good to learn more about ACC teams though - thanks for sharing.

Sounds like if this guy Milbourne or one of the others mentioned come through Gary might be able to field a pretty good 5 or 6, but like NC State last year, no margin for error if foul trouble or injuries happen.

What do you see the starting lineup and rotations being? If they are what was listed on page one, with Vasques-Hayes-Milbourne-Gist-Osby, a lot of the answers to replacing seniors Bowie-Tucker-Dupree-Burney are on the bench. My guess is it will take the 5 freshmen saome time to learn Gary's flex, but Vasquez and Hayes seem to have caught on quickly last year.

Early in the thread, wherethehellami posted that Stawberry and Ibekwe made the 1st team All-ACC Defensive team last season. That also contributed a lot to MD runs on Offense.

With less defense, less offense, and freshmen-Soph inexperience, IMO MD ends up in middle of ACC this year, similar to Duke last year but with lower ranked players which is not an end all but often indicative.


Neal has the best marks in the weight room so it wouldn't surprise me that he weighed 260.

7 Teams in the ACC

Duke/NCSU/Clemson predicted to do better than last year
BC/Ga Tech/UVa predicted to be about the same
Maryland predicted to take a step back

I think that all seven teams lost critical starters and consequently should have question marks about them. I'm surprised that the predictions on how well they would do are pretty much unanimous. I would have thought that somebody would have sold BC or UVa short and somebody else be bullish on the Terps

I think Maryland will have more offense. Free shooting will be better. The set offense will be better with the 3 inside scorers -- Osby, Dupree and Gist. When Osby played well (start and the end of the season) the Terps won. When he went into a funk they slumped. I expect a Ryan Randle/Jamar Smith type of senior season from him.

[ACCBBallFan]

Neal has the best marks in the weight room so it wouldn't surprise me that he weighed 260.

7 Teams in the ACC

Duke/NCSU/Clemson predicted to do better than last year
BC/Ga Tech/UVa predicted to be about the same
Maryland predicted to take a step back

I think that all seven teams lost critical starters and consequently should have question marks about them. I'm surprised that the predictions on how well they would do are pretty much unanimous. I would have thought that somebody would have sold BC or UVa short and somebody else be bullish on the Terps

I think Maryland will have more offense. Free shooting will be better. The set offense will be better with the 3 inside scorers -- Osby, Dupree and Gist. When Osby played well (start and the end of the season) the Terps won. When he went into a funk they slumped. I expect a Ryan Randle/Jamar Smith type of senior season from him.I don't think too many people are saying UVA about the same (11-5, tied for first) or BC about the same 10-6 one game from first.

These links from N&O Carlton Tudor and Gigilio seem shaky and were before Wayne Ellington and James Gist made the PanAm team or Deon Thompson the U-19 team,

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php?p=10767&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more10767

and Audio first part about Scheyer, latter part about Deon

http://www.newsobserver.com/content/media/2007/6/23/satranks.mp3

They pretty much agree on UNC first and 2-4 in some order such as alpha here Clemson-Duke-NC State.

They seem to have based their views on number of returning starters, which does favor Clemson, Duke and NC State.

They pretty much acknowledge that anything can happen from 5-12.

[whereinthehellami]

I can't imagine how BC could look any worse on paper unless they were on toilet paper. Outside of Rice they look about as underwhelming as any ACC team I can remember.

[Patrick Yates]

I also have to wonder how Ga Tech can be as good as last year. Yes, they added a PF, but they subtracted Young, a tremendous talent who did not seem to get it together last year, and Crittendon, who would have challenged for 1st or 2nd team all-acc this year. They lost two tremendous talents, and one was a starting pg with talent, athleticism, and size. Crittendon really played well down the stretch for them last year, fueling thier push into the post season.

I feel the above posters are correct regarding 1-4 in the ACC

UNC
Duke
Clemson (have to see them excell before I believe they are top 2)
NCSU

5-12, who knows. That said, whoever finishes top 4 in the acc are only teams with a chance for the NCAAs, and I would not be surprised if only 3 teams get in this year. The league lost a lot of talent last year, and we all really underperformed in the NCAAs, which will count against us this year.

Patrick Yates

[ACCBBallFan]

I also have to wonder how Ga Tech can be as good as last year. Yes, they added a PF, but they subtracted Young, a tremendous talent who did not seem to get it together last year, and Crittendon, who would have challenged for 1st or 2nd team all-acc this year. They lost two tremendous talents, and one was a starting pg with talent, athleticism, and size. Crittendon really played well down the stretch for them last year, fueling thier push into the post season.

I feel the above posters are correct regarding 1-4 in the ACC

UNC
Duke
Clemson (have to see them excell before I believe they are top 2)
NCSU

5-12, who knows. That said, whoever finishes top 4 in the acc are only teams with a chance for the NCAAs, and I would not be surprised if only 3 teams get in this year. The league lost a lot of talent last year, and we all really underperformed in the NCAAs, which will count against us this year.

Patrick YatesFrom that same News & Observer link:

Players returning (on scholarship): F Mouhammad Faye, F Zach Peacok (mis-spelled to avoid DBR spell checker edit), G Paco Diaw (rumor he is transferring), G D'Andre Bell, F Alade Aminu, F Ra'Sean Dickey, G Anthony Morrow, F Jeremis Smith, G Lewis Clinch; G Matt Causey

Players lost: G Mario West, G Javaris Crittenton (NBA), F Thaddeus Young (NBA)

Recruits: F Gani Lawal (20), G Maurice Miller, G Lance Storrs

Telep's analysis: Lawal's going to be productive right away. Miller is the most important recruit because he can hold the whole team together. In reality, they brought him in to be a backup for a year or two. Without Crittenton, his learning curve has been accelerated. He's an ACC-level player but he’s not Crittenton. He'll get you in the offense and make an occassional 3 but he's more of program guy than a program changer.

Projected starting lineup: Miller, Morrow, Smith, Lawal, Aminu

---------------------

There's also a rumor on that site that Paco Diaw may be transferring, probably because GA Tech is so deep in atheltes.

http://www.scacchoops.com/forms/tt_NewsBreaker_External.asp?NB=888

So Ramblin Wreck has lots of atheltes, such that Dickey cannot even crack into the starting lineup, but unless Clinch or Morrow can play PG or this guy Miller is ready, the lack of PG may hurt their effectivness.

GA Tech has shown inability to win close games (Duke being an exception last year) or to win on the road. They may be a lot like FSU often us - a bunch of athletic guys who are not cohesive.

[whereinthehellami]

GA Tech has shown inability to win close games (Duke being an exception last year) or to win on the road. They may be a lot like FSU often us - a bunch of athletic guys who are not cohesive.

Thats a good point, alot of the ACC teams don't really have a guy that just jumps out at you as being a killer with the game on the line. Although to some extent the same could be said about Duke.

Who takes the big shot for Duke? Probably Paulus, maybe Nelson.

[just_wondering]

I also have to wonder how Ga Tech can be as good as last year. Yes, they added a PF, but they subtracted Young, a tremendous talent who did not seem to get it together last year, and Crittendon, who would have challenged for 1st or 2nd team all-acc this year. They lost two tremendous talents, and one was a starting pg with talent, athleticism, and size. Crittendon really played well down the stretch for them last year, fueling thier push into the post season.

I feel the above posters are correct regarding 1-4 in the ACC

UNC
Duke
Clemson (have to see them excell before I believe they are top 2)
NCSU

5-12, who knows. That said, whoever finishes top 4 in the acc are only teams with a chance for the NCAAs, and I would not be surprised if only 3 teams get in this year. The league lost a lot of talent last year, and we all really underperformed in the NCAAs, which will count against us this year.

Patrick Yates

How can this conference seem to have a down year every year yet never lose the ACC-Big Ten challenge? Georgia Tech has more talent than Paul Hewitt's first years in the conference. Duke and N.C. State are on the rise. Maryland is better than they have been the last 3 years. The ACC is rock solid again this year. We're just getting old [back in my day guys like Spud Webb could dunk and Tommy Burlinson had range all the way out to half court]

[ACCBBallFan]

How can this conference seem to have a down year every year yet never lose the ACC-Big Ten challenge? Georgia Tech has more talent than Paul Hewitt's first years in the conference. Duke and N.C. State are on the rise. Maryland is better than they have been the last 3 years. The ACC is rock solid again this year. We're just getting old [back in my day guys like Spud Webb could dunk and Tommy Burlinson had range all the way out to half court]It may be a so-called down year for ACC but no more than any other conference.

Lunardi seems to think ACC will get 7 bids but I am thinking 5, maybe 6, but definitely more than 3.

PAC10 is probably the strongest so UCLA will get some losses: UCLA, Wash St, USC and Oregon, then Stanford, Arizona and Washington. Long year for Herb at AZ St. and Jamal Boykin at Cal and whoever at Oregon St.

I would not classify Big East as weakened. They still have Georgetown, Louisville and Marquette at top, and a sizably good middle: Villanova, Syracuse, W VA, UCONN and Pitt and not awful third tier with Providence and Notre Dame for 10 of 16 decent.

Big East has 16 and ACC has 12, pretty comparable conferences with edge to Big East perhaps stronger in second tier but top 10 pretty even with Big East having more rummies at their bottom.

My top 5 in ACC UNC, then 2-5 in any order (alpha here) Clemson, Duke, GA Tech and NC State.; 6 MD; 7 UVA; 8-12 who knows the order and whether Rice, Washington & Vassallo, McClinton, FSU’s 7 foot recruit or someone from Wake causes their team to edge out the others that all don’t have much.

None of the other conferences have as much with SEC probably next best with TN-KY- then Alabama-Arkansas, next FL-Ms St- GA and Auburn.

Big 10 has Michigan St.-Indiana, then Ohio St.-Wisconsin, next Illinois-Purdue.

The Big 12 really weak with just KS, then TX, followed by A&M-Missouri, then Oklahoma - OK St.

So KS depends a lot on Rush and Arthur's recoveries but may have a deceptively good W-L while UCLA may be deceptively not as good W-L

Memphis will play a strong OOC since their C-USA is so weak.

It is natural to focus on all the underclass talent and seniors the ACC lost, but let's not forget there is a ton of talent remaining, and a nice crop of Freshmen notably Singler, Lawal and JJ Hickson, but also Nolan Smith, Taylor King, FSU 7 footer Soloman Alabi, and more.

Here is a starter set of All ACC competition, and this list does not even include Lawson:

All-ACC Team

First team
1 *Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina (106), 318
2 Sean Singletary, Virginia (100), 312

Second team
3 Tyrese Rice, Boston College, 177

Third team
4 Brandon Costner, N.C. State, 94
5 Jack McClinton, Miami, 48

Honorable mention (20 or more points)
6 Ben McCauley, N.C. State, 36
7 James Mays, Clemson, 34
8 DeMarcus Nelson, Duke, 34
9 James Gist, Maryland, 28

These links from N&O Carlton Tudor and Joe Gigilio seem shaky and were before Wayne Ellington and James Gist made the PanAm team or Deon Thompson the U-19 team.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php?p=10767&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#more10767

and Audio first part about Scheyer, latter part about Deon

http://www.newsobserver.com/content/media/2007/6/23/satranks.mp3

[greybeard]

Saw Osby play against Ewing and a former Georgetown/Baylor 6'9" guy named Thomas. Osby looked very impressive. Poised, very good high post game (maybe a tad weak on the J, but very, very good at penetrating from there and finishing. Has very good timing and uses his body well to score underneath.

BTW, Ewing is looking really impressive this summer according to a friend of mine who has watched a lot of games. I'm not as sure because his aggressive moves to the basket have a looseness to them that can cause more trouble than JTIII would like.

When I was there, Sommers was in sandals shooting three after three from, I kid you not, maybe 10-12 feet inside half court. Nothing but net. I'm not sure I've ever seen that done before (actually I know I haven't but I've never actually been a gym rat around high end players so I don't know what that is worth).

Saw Georgetown's new kids. The 6'4" kid is bigger physically than I thought, and could be a good third guard choice if Georgetown needs more outside shooting and choses to go small at times. Kid is a play maker and poised.

Georgetown could well make another run for it all this year.

[just_wondering]

Saw Osby play against Ewing and a former Georgetown/Baylor 6'9" guy named Thomas. Osby looked very impressive. Poised, very good high post game (maybe a tad weak on the J, but very, very good at penetrating from there and finishing. Has very good timing and uses his body well to score underneath.

BTW, Ewing is looking really impressive this summer according to a friend of mine who has watched a lot of games. I'm not as sure because his aggressive moves to the basket have a looseness to them that can cause more trouble than JTIII would like.

When I was there, Sommers was in sandals shooting three after three from, I kid you not, maybe 10-12 feet inside half court. Nothing but net. I'm not sure I've ever seen that done before (actually I know I haven't but I've never actually been a gym rat around high end players so I don't know what that is worth).

Saw Georgetown's new kids. The 6'4" kid is bigger physically than I thought, and could be a good third guard choice if Georgetown needs more outside shooting and choses to go small at times. Kid is a play maker and poised.

Georgetown could well make another run for it all this year.

They're making the run for the border that they make every year in refusing to play in the BB&T and raise money for charity.

[mapei]

They're making the run for the border that they make every year in refusing to play in the BB&T and raise money for charity.

As I suspect you know, that's a long and much more complicated story, having to do at least in part with Gary's insistence that MD will play in Verizon for the tournament if Georgetown is in it only if Georgetown gives MD a home game in Comcast. I think at one point he was even insisting that Georgetown play in Comcast first, because he felt he was owed a game from many years back. Not to mention that Feinstein showed his usual gifts for tact and diplomacy and fanned the flames. Anyway, you and I are both biased on this one. I think there are about five different points of view on the whole sordid mess, and the BB&T is not remotely responsive to what greybeard posted anyway.

greybeard, you went to the Kenner League? What fun! I went to two and a half games (Tombs twice, Myers & Alterman one and a half, and Clyde's once. I can't remember who was the other half; someone M&A played against a couple of weeks ago). I had wanted to see the Clyde's team play again this week but got mixed up on the playoff schedule and now they have been eliminated. I may go Saturday to see M&A in the semis, since Jeff Green has now joined them for the remainder, and they already had Tyler Crawford.

I read about Ewing's stellar play but didn't see it on the afternoon I saw his team. He had an off day, I guess, outclassed on his team by Jeremiah Rivers, Deron Washington, and incoming freshman Austin Freeman, and outclassed on the opposing team by Jon Wallace and Chris Wright. The Hoyas are absolutely loaded with guards next year, and the surprise of the summer for me as been incoming freshman forward Nikita Mescheriakov. He was somewhat unsung but has some real skill. Hibbert, Summers, and Macklin will all be as good as last year or better.

Having said that, I think losing Jeff Green is a bigger deal than a lot of Hoya fans admit. They will be good, maybe even top-10 good if all the chips fall, but they don't have anyone who can step into his shoes. Ewing or Macklin (or even Freeman) can step into his position, but it's like Carrawell replacing Battier. Pretty good, but nowhere near the same.

[just_wondering]

As I suspect you know, that's a long and much more complicated story, having to do at least in part with Gary's insistence that MD will play in Verizon for the tournament if Georgetown is in it only if Georgetown gives MD a home game in Comcast. I think at one point he was even insisting that Georgetown play in Comcast first, because he felt he was owed a game from many years back. Not to mention that Feinstein showed his usual gifts for tact and diplomacy and fanned the flames. Anyway, you and I are both biased on this one. I think there are about five different points of view on the whole sordid mess, and the BB&T is not remotely responsive to what greybeard posted anyway.

greybeard, you went to the Kenner League? What fun! I went to two and a half games (Tombs twice, Myers & Alterman one and a half, and Clyde's once. I can't remember who was the other half; someone M&A played against a couple of weeks ago). I had wanted to see the Clyde's team play again this week but got mixed up on the playoff schedule and now they have been eliminated. I may go Saturday to see M&A in the semis, since Jeff Green has now joined them for the remainder, and they already had Tyler Crawford.

I read about Ewing's stellar play but didn't see it on the afternoon I saw his team. He had an off day, I guess, outclassed on his team by Jeremiah Rivers, Deron Washington, and incoming freshman Austin Freeman, and outclassed on the opposing team by Jon Wallace and Chris Wright. The Hoyas are absolutely loaded with guards next year, and the surprise of the summer for me as been incoming freshman forward Nikita Mescheriakov. He was somewhat unsung but has some real skill. Hibbert, Summers, and Macklin will all be as good as last year or better.

Having said that, I think losing Jeff Green is a bigger deal than a lot of Hoya fans admit. They will be good, maybe even top-10 good if all the chips fall, but they don't have anyone who can step into his shoes. Ewing or Macklin (or even Freeman) can step into his position, but it's like Carrawell replacing Battier. Pretty good, but nowhere near the same.

Mapei,

I think that you're right in that this is a sensitive subject that has to be handled carefully on the board. It is something that I would love to bring up on the board at some future date but more in the format "what's the dream line-up for a Baltimore Washington Basketball tournament". I was just fishing to see if anybody shared my interest in the subject.

[mapei]

BTW, Byron Mouton has been playing in the Kenner League this summer.

[greybeard]

BTW, Byron Mouton has been playing in the Kenner League this summer.

The game I saw, like it was the NCAA finals.

[mapei]

I went again today, mostly to watch Jeff Green and Tyler Crawford. But there were a couple of MD players in the game. One was Langdon Milbourne, the other (I think) Gini Chakura. I'm probably misspelling both names.

[just_wondering]

I went again today, mostly to watch Jeff Green and Tyler Crawford. But there were a couple of MD players in the game. One was Langdon Milbourne, the other (I think) Gini Chakura. I'm probably misspelling both names.

Gini Chukura was the top player in the Maryland Campus Rec Center and walked onto the team. Attended the same High School as James Gist. Graduated in May.

Jason McAlpin is the new former top player at the Campus Rec Center but because he's an outside shooter with good range might see playing time in critical situations.

Landon Milbourne is the heir apparent to DJ Strawberry. He has to have a presence on the offense for the Terps to be good.

[gw67]

DBR lists only two freshmen on their roster for the Terps. They actually have an incoming class of five. The Winston Salem paper has a nice article on their class (see link).

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352186858&path=!sports&s=1037645509200

I expect 3-4 of these kids, particularly Bowie, Tucker and Dupree to compete for playing time along with Milbourne and Burney.

gw67

[just_wondering]

DBR lists only two freshmen on their roster for the Terps. They actually have an incoming class of five. The Winston Salem paper has a nice article on their class (see link).

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173352186858&path=!sports&s=1037645509200

I expect 3-4 of these kids, particularly Bowie, Tucker and Dupree to compete for playing time along with Milbourne and Burney.

gw67

Maryland has plenty of room to improve shooting free throws. Neither Strawberry nor Ibekwe were particularly good free throw shooters for their position. While the frontline blocked a lot of shots they had lapses on the glass. The defense is likely to drop off this year. But if the three headed monster of Bowie, Tucker and Milborne can average 12-15 points per game they'll be fine

[just_wondering]

With the off-season upon us I thought we would look at each ACC team and throw out some random thoughts about each school. I thought we would start at the top of the ACC and go from there. Keep it flame free and maybe even get some of the fans from the other schools to weigh in. It doesn't have to be all Bball related but that should be focus.

UVA (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1331) and UNC (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1252) were previously looked at.

Lets take a look at Maryland:


Were picked 7th in the pre-season polls and finished third, so they had a good year.



They lose 3 starters; Strawberry (6-5), Jones (6-5), and Ibekwe (6-9) whom formed the heart and toughness of the team.



They also lose P. Brown (6-1) and Bowers (7-1), who only saw around 10 MPG but spent 4 years in Williams's system and could be counted on for some limited duty.



Gist (6-8) is their best returning player and has improved each year that he has been at Maryland and is a potentiall All-ACC player (12.6 ppg, 7.2 rbg, 54% fg%, 71 ft%, 43% 3pt) .



Stawberry and Ibekwe made the 1st team All-ACC Defensive team last season.



Vasquez (6-5) and Hayes (6-3) looked good this year because of the athletic seniors and are going to struggle next year as the team tries to establish a new identity.



Braxton Dupree (RSCI, 66) is their highest rated recruit at 6-8 and could help as they are thin in the frontcourt.



Their football team suprised the ACC last season and won 9 games, 6 of them by 17 total points.



Their football team returns 9 on offense and 7 on defense, though they lost their starter at quarterback (Hollenbach).



Portis (QB), a transfer from Florida is in the mix to replace Hollenbach.



Could Williams (basketball) and Friedgen (football) be any more different as coaches?


Landon Milbourne, James Gist and Greivis Vasquez have been impressive playing for different all star teams during the summer.

The schedule is favorable if Maryland plays well early. The killer stretch for the Terps comes at games 4-8: UNC-DUKE-UVA-Georgia Tech-BC. Only two of those five games are at home. The make or break games are against BC at the start of the season and the last game in the killer stretch. If Maryland can beat BC who knows ...
So far the signs are mostly good for the Terps this season

[whereinthehellami]

I see Vasquez is playing for Venezulea and scored 12 points the other night versus the US. The FIBA games should be a good experience for the young guard.

[Patrick Yates]

The Fiba games will be good for Vasquez, but I still see UMD struggling some next year. This is not a slam on the returning players, merely a reflection of what they lost. Straw, Jones, et al were 4 year players who were leaders. This year when a team punches back or really attacks UMD, they will be lacking that Sr who can put the team on his back, calm them down, and counter punch.

UMD will respond well sometimes, and not so well other times. This is a reflection of their talent and lack of experience. Now, in 2 and especially 3 years, UMD will be very dangerous and one of the top teams in the ACC. I just do not see it next year, because I think inconsistency will get them. I really think the ACC gets only 4 teams in the NCAAs, and right now I just do not think UMD will be one of them. Finishing 5 or 6 in the ACC given what UMD lost would be a tremendous achievement, and in most years would get UMD in the big dance. Unfortunately the bottom of the ACC (WFU, Miami, BC, and maybe FSU) will be comically bad. So bad, that they will only beat each other and will be disregarded as wins by the outside media, which will hurt the middle of the pack ACC teams, of which UMD will be. Next year is a teaching year for young kids at UMD to learn the system while Garry dials up for serious national runs in the following years.

Patrick Yates

[merry]

The Fiba games will be good for Vasquez, but I still see UMD struggling some next year. This is not a slam on the returning players, merely a reflection of what they lost. Straw, Jones, et al were 4 year players who were leaders. This year when a team punches back or really attacks UMD, they will be lacking that Sr who can put the team on his back, calm them down, and counter punch.


You may be right that the Terps will be middle of the pack, and any senior leadership seems to be better than none, but I never really saw Jones exhibit as lot of leadership and Strawberry's level of passion and focus was inconsistent at best.