Wahoo Wire

With basketball season gearing up, Wahoo Wire will be previewing each ACC team.

MARYLAND TERRAPINS

2010 Winning %: .742

2010 ACC Wins: 13

2010 Postseason: Lost to Michigan State NCAA Rd. 2

10/11 Starting Lineup:

• Adrian Bowie (G)
• Sean Mosley (G)
• Cliff Tucker (F)
• Dino Gregory (F)
• Jordan Williams (F)

What they lost:

In a word: everything. Guards Grievis Vasquez and Eric Hayes and forward Landon Milbourne all graduated after last season’s NCAA-tournament run. Certainly, nearly every team loses seniors every year, usually multiple seniors. However, the impact of losing these three particular players will leave coach Gary Williams skeptical as to whether his team has what it takes to make another run to the Big Dance. Vasquez (19.6 PPG), Milbourne (12.7), and Hayes (11.3) were the Terps’ top three scorers in 09/10, accounting for over 50% of Maryland’s team scoring. In particular, Vasquez, who also led the team with 6.3 assists per game, was known for singlehandedly dragging the Terps back to life in close games, particularly the second-round NCAA tournament game against Michigan State, in which he made a last-second shot to give Maryland the lead, only for the Spartans to come back down the court and hit a buzzer-beater of their own.

What they gained:

Whenever a team loses a trio like Vasquez, Milbourne, and Hayes, it is vital that they have a recruiting crop in place to replace the departing players. With that in mind, Williams and his staff went guard-heavy in recruiting, bringing in Arizona’s second-leading HS scorer, Terrell Stoglin, Oak Hill Academy PG Pe’Shon Howard, 2-time Nordic Championship MVP Haukur Palsson, and even stealing swingman Mychal Parker, who attended high school in nearby Crozet, from Virginia, among others. Despite losing a clear frontcourt leader in Milbourne, only one new forward was brought in, 6’9” Bronx native Ashton Pankey, who garnered praise from scouts despite missing his senior season due to a stress fracture in his leg. Williams and crew will certainly hope for production early from this crop of freshmen if the Terps have visions of making a deep run in the ACC tournament and going to the Dance again.

Summary:

Last year’s team lacked obvious talent, but made up for it with a solid core of experienced seniors. This year, however, that senior leadership has departed. Williams and Mosley will improve again and lead the team, but the loss of Vasquez, Milbourne, and Hayes will be a crushing blow to a team that made the NCAA tournament as a 4^th seed. Still, don’t count the Terps out, as coach Gary Williams is an experienced coach who always seems to have a trick or two up his sleeve. Maryland does not have the guns to compete with Duke and North Carolina for the title, but look for them to finish in the top half of the ACC standings and ultimately find their way into the NCAA tournament.

• Boston College
• Clemson
• Duke
• Florida State
• Georgia Tech
• Miami
• North Carolina
• NC State
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest