I went to the Terps vs Fairleigh Dickinson game the other night and thought that I would post my thoughts on this year's team before the Maui Tourney at 5pm EST.
PG - Probably the biggest question mark with this team. Can DJ Strawberry effectively run the point? Can he handle the ball against the PGs of the ACC? His defense is one of the reasons that he is in the starting lineup, but in an exhibition against Virginia Union, Strawberry had 7 turnovers at the half. If that trend continues, the Terps are in for a long season. The backup is Sterling Ledbetter who had extended playing time during the Terps' NIT run last year. McCray also spells Strawberry at the point, but does not have the ball-handling skills necessary to be anything more than a fill-in from time to time.
SG - McCray needs to become a leader and go-to scorer. Elected to be the team co-captain, he is a streaky shooter and a mildly underrated defender who, last year, was usually assigned to the other team's best guard. With Strawberry and McCray, defensively, the Terps look good in the backcourt. The highly-recruited Mike Jones also needs to step up this year. He has been inconsistent at best, showing flashes of the unlimited range we heard so much about when he first came to MD, while also suffering from defensive lapses which earned him a spot in Gary's doghouse for stretches of the last two years. His play will be one of the keys to MD's season.
SF - Nik Caner-Medley is the starter and team co-captain. Supposedly, during the off-season, he worked on his shot and getting the ball to the rim more often. If I see him receive a pass in the corner, jab step, and hoist up another bad three, I'm going to jab a pen in my eye. Also, I hope that he worked on going to his right in the offseason, because everyone in the ACC recognized that he can only go left last year.
PF/C - At the FDU game, James Gist started alongside Ekene Ibekwe. Is there a skinnier PF/C combo in all of college hoops? At his best, Ibekwe is a long shot-blocker, capabable of changing the way that people attack the basket and an effective inside offensive player. At worst, he gets into foul trouble on defense and turns the ball over on offense. With a go-to post move, he becomes dangerous. Without it, we are stuck watching him try to dribble in the paint with predictable results (turnover). And can I just add that he has one of the wierdest looking shots in college hoops? It looks like he's worked on cleaning it up some, but it's still awkward at best.
Gist is my favorite Terp, by far. Probably the best jumper on the team, he has a nose for the ball. Defensively, he is an outstanding shot-blocker who gets into trouble when he doesn't move his feet. He gets pushed around by the bigger forwards in the league, but makes up for a lot with his quickness. Offensively, he is one our best post players (probably b/c he is the only one on the team with any true post moves).
Travis Garrison is another highly-recruited player who has suffered an up and down career at MD. Listed at 6'8", 241 lbs, he plays like he's 6'3"-- all fade alwyas and jumpers. It's nice that he has a soft shooting touch, but get your ass down in the paint and get a GD rebound! I think that he is suffering from Terrence Morris syndrome (he gets worse the longer he stays in school).
And finally, Will Bowers. Two years ago, he was a suckier version of Cone (Mike Mardesich). Last year, he surprised people with his moderate effectiveness. Gary has always said that big men take longer to develop, and Bowers may be a good example of that. He spent the summer working on low post moves at Big Man camp and we are going to need that to do anything this year. You hope for 15-20 minutes, 6-8 points, 6-8 rebounds, and 5 fouls. More is gravy, less puts you in a tough spot.
Offense - Who is the go-to player? What is their go-to move? When you really need a basket, who is going to get the ball? This probably cost the team 3-4 wins last year. There are a number of people who can fill this role (McCray and NCM come to mind), but only time will tell.
Defense - Team defense has been an issue. At times, the team becomes block-happy and ends up giving up a bunch of easy points to good passing teams. Gary has stated that he is planning on pressing a lot this year, and getting back on defense will be key.
X-Factor - Contributions from Bowers, Jones, and Gist. If 2 or 3 of these guys comes on strong, MD can be a strong team.
8 comments:
Been to all 3 games this year and will be at all of the home games this year.
My thoughts, agree that I see a Terrence Morris syndrome out there, but I see it with Caner-Medley. He doesn't drive or look to shoot anymore, he doesn't pass the ball quick enough to get the defense to move. He always looks to be the guy to dump it inside, usually in a position where the teammate isn't able to catch the ball nor establish position inside.
I would like to see an over/under on how many times this year we get trapped on the baseline????
I think our entire season is going to be determined by PG play. We looked horrible against St Francis Xavier and Virginia Union in PG play (granted we smoke both teams, but we were supposed to). Our PG play looked extremely good against FD, which gave me some hope....but I wasn't all that impressed against Gonzaga. We don't have anyone to control the offense.
James Gist is also my favorite terp right now, I like Mike Jones off the bench, but if he starts to play smarter and better at D, we may see Caner-Medley coming off the bench.
I am also excited for the team over the next few years, we have a Steve Blake-ess PG coming in.
If you want soft, look at Virginia's frontcourt. I feel for Leitao, as we are employing our 1998'esque walk-on bartender frontcourt.
"Steve Blake-ess PG" = Undersized, slow, and can't create his own shot (i.e. Eric Hayes)
Your on crack if you don't think Steve Blake was the best point guard in the country during his tenure at MD.
He was a pure PG who had excellent court vision and ball handling skills. He played excellent defense (so to call him slow is outrageous), and hit big shots when needed.
Gary Williams doesn't try to recruit PG's to create their own shots.
During his first two years at Maryland Blake was outmanned by a number of ACC point guards, including Jay Williams.
During his UMD tenure other PGs included Mateen Cleeves, Kirk Hinrich, Dwyane Wade, TJ Ford. Yeah, they all sucked.
Pass the pipe.
Let's go Trojans!!!!
Steve Blake worked Jay Williams each matchup win or loss...and he didn't have 5 other McDonald's All Americans on his team.
Jay Williams was a great player/scorer, not point guard.
Lets start with Mateen Cleaves...Do you want to compare Careers or the only year they played together 2000 (Blake Freshman/Cleaves Senior).
Cleaves: 2000
5 Less 3 pointers than Blake 32/37.
30 more Free Throws made than Blake 65/35.
60 less Rebounds than Blake 46/106.
38 less assists 179/217.
25 less steals 36/71.
6 less block shots.
The only thing Cleaves did more was score, which hasn't been a focus for a PG at MD ever (its what killed J. Gilchrist.)
For a 4 year career:
39 less 3pts 143/182.
109 more FT's with 160 more taken.
209 less rebounds.
156 less assists.
39 less steals.
22 less blocks.
17 more turnovers.
Career Shooting percentages were comparable:
Cleaves/Blake:
FG 41/40
3 Pt 31/38
FT 74/77.
Puff Puff Pass
Because Maryland wasn't stacked?
You are straddling the line between equating "best PG" based on stats or leadership. Which is it? You can't have it both ways. Blake was NOT the leader on the UMD championiship team (Dixon) and his stats couldn't match Wade, TJ, Williams.
If we were in vehicles, I would be shaking my head with a smirk right now.
Because of your final comment I refuse to argue anymore.
I just don't think you appreciate the player that Blake was and see the importance of having someone like him on the team.
Juan Dixon was a scorer and go to guy and defender (which you seem to believe is leadership). Steve Blake orchestrated the offense.
Without Steve Blake, MD wouldn't have went as far as they did (same could be said about Juan.)
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