So Terps fans – does football season have you in the dumps? Well, fear not (unless of course you’re fearing the Turtle), because basketball season is among us. And this year, you’re Maryland Terrapins are going to be good.
Last season, the Terps were plagued by two things: inconsistent play and the lack of size inside. Remember, this was a team who lost to Morgan State…at home! But this was also a team who beat UNC and Michigan State, the two teams appearing in the NCAA title game.
Last season’s team had to deal with a lot. They had learn to play with Dave Neal being their best inside presents. They had to deal with the Washington Post trying to criticize and make up information about their head coach. They had to deal with adversity and they had two options; fold or embrace that adversity and use it for motivation.
That motivation sparked the Terps to the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, a place no one expected them to be just a month earlier.
So what can we expect from this year’s squad? A lot of that same motivation but with an inside game to complement it.
When senior guard Greivis Vasquez decided to return to College Park for his senior year, this year’s Terps team went from “decent/good” to “potential to be great.” With the return of Vasquez, the Terps now have the potential and depth to be a contender this year in the ACC.
This team has veteran leadership in Vasquez and fellow seniors Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes. They have an influx of good, young talent in freshmen Jordan Williams and James Padgett. They have great role players and bench depth. And they only lost one player from last year’s squad. Now, the loss of Dave Neal shouldn’t be undervalued – he did a lot for this team last year, including, believe it or not, being our best 3-point shooter. But the addition of Jordan Williams and James Padgett should be able to combine and make up for Neal’s lost production.
Some things to expect for this season:
Greivis Vasquez will be contending for ACC player of the year. Vasquez is definitely the most dynamic player in the conference, but he might also be the best. The senior guard could have a special season for the Terps as he jockeys to improve his draft status in the NBA after this season.
Sean Mosley will be the most improved player on the team and perhaps in the conference.
Mosley is going to be this team’s go to player next season and he’ll show you why this year. His overall game has improved over his freshman year. Not only has he improved his jump shot, free throw shooting and long distance shot, he continues to be that guy on the floor who does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score. Expect Sean to be a force this season.
Jordan Williams will surprise a lot of people.
One of the knocks on the freshman center is that he wasn’t playing against good competition in high school. Good competition or not, it takes a lot to average over 30 points and 20 rebounds per game! Jordan has the skills and could continue to be a starter this season (he’s started the first two regular season games thus far). You can immediately see what his presence under the basket means for the Terps – the ability to dish the ball back to the outside and either let a player take an open 3 or allow someone to drive to the basket. Jordan is going to turn a lot of heads this season.
Dino Gregory will be back in uniform
Dino, who is currently suspended from the team for what most assume to be some sort of academic violation, will be back on the court at some point, maybe after the fall semester is over. Dino figured to be a vital part of this team’s frontcourt, so his loss cuts into the Terps’ bench depth, but Dino should eventually get back on the court and make his presence felt.
Eric Hayes will be offensive
Most people don’t think Hayes has the ability to score. Well, as my Mom reminded me, Eric went out and spent part of the offseason with former Terp great Steve Blake and what he learned from Blake should transfer into a more aggressive and assertive Eric Hayes on the offensive end.
The Terps will finish in the top 3 of the ACC standings.
With UNC and Duke being the early favorites to win the conference, a lot of people seem to be looking past the Terps. UNC has a completely new starting 5, yet most think they’ll still be better than the Terps. Duke, fine. They have some good, proven players. But UNC? I know they have talented recruits on their team but a group of unproven recruits should be behind a group of proven veterans.
What do you think of this year’s team? Let us know in the comment section!
If you’re interested in previews of some of the other ACC schools, check out these links below:
Clemson
Another Clemson Preview
Duke
FSU
Another FSU preview and great overall ACC preview
NC State
Georgia Tech
UVA
Another UVA preview
Virginia Tech
