College basketball season is almost upon us (practices have started, but there won’t be real games for another couple of weeks), which means that college basketball previews are thick on the ground. Over at the world-wde leader in sports marketing, they have a column about the Maryland guard situation this season:
In 2004-05, point guard John Gilchrist seemed to spend more time rocking the Terrapins’ chemistry than he did handling the rock. And when Gilchrist bolted after his junior season, swingman D.J. Strawberry assumed those duties last year, mostly because Maryland had no other reliable option. Strawberry was forced to play the point even more when senior Chris McCray was ruled academically ineligible after only 16 games.
As [coach Gary] Williams tries to get his team back to the tournament this season, he has more than one option at point guard. Freshmen Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez have proved to be more than reliable in the first two weeks of preseason practice, so much so that Strawberry isn’t worried about having to return there. Strawberry has moved back to the wing, where he is far more comfortable penetrating the basket and defending perimeter players.
As I’ve said here in the past, I don’t think that the dodgy point guard play was really the problem. I tend to put the blame on weak play by the big guys, leading to the Terps consistently giving up a zillion offensive rebounds, while getting none of their own. Of course, I would tend to say that, as I’m a big guy…
Regardless, it’s nice to see an article on the Terps who, let’s face it, weren’t very good last year. It’s a good sign for the program that two bad years haven’t dropped them off the national radar. It’s also good to hear that the new guys look good, though everybody looks good in pre-season practices. We’ll see them on the court soon enough, I guess…
Lets hope for the best. They won by the skin of their teeth tonight against California, Pennsylvania; not a good start. Although, I was impressed by the freshmen talent.
I tend to put the blame on weak play by the big guys, leading to the Terps consistently giving up a zillion offensive rebounds, while getting none of their own.
But it works for Duke!