Maryland Basketball: Grading the Terps Roster Through the First Three Weeks

Maryland played undefeated Illinois closely, but in the end, the green and shorthanded Terps simply ran out of road, falling to the Illini, 71-62.

The Terrapin men's basketball team is now 3-3, including a putrid 26-point loss to Iona. With a brand new coach, only seven scholarship players and just one non-transfer senior currently on the roster, the Terps' early-season difficulties can't come as a shock. Still, no disputing that no one around the program is enjoying the bumpy ride so far.

Help, in the form of injured point guard Pe'shon Howard and incoming transfer Alex Len, is on the way. But, to paraphrase Rick Pitino, Joe Smith and Juan Dixon are not walking through that door.

But despite the rough start and bleak outlook, there are bright spots to point to. Here's a report card for each of the Terps who have seen significant playing time through the first few weeks of the season. 

(Photo credit: Washington Examiner)

9. Jonathan Thomas

Position: Guard
Class: Junior
Minutes per game: 8.8
Key statistic: 1.8 points per game
Grade: C-

Thomas, a career benchwarmer (pictured here getting burned by Alabama guard Charles Hankerson), was pressed into service following the loss of Howard and the departures of players like Adrian Bowie (graduation), Haukur Palsson (now playing pro ball overseas) and Sterling Gibbs (retracted commitment). Given this fact, I'm not exactly breaking news when I say that Thomas is feeling his way along the hardwood right now.

8. John Auslander

Position: Forward
Class: Sophomore
Minutes per game: 10
Key statistic: six points in 20 minutes against Florida Gulf Coast
Grade: B

The 6'7" walk-on-turned-scholarship player (pictured at right) provides much-needed post depth while the Terps wait for Len, who won't be available until after Christmas. But Auslander is offering more than just feet and inches; he's perhaps the most fundamentally sound player on a fundamentally sloppy team.

(Photo credit:  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, per the Washington Times)

7. Mychal Parker

Position: Forward
Class: Sophomore
Minutes per game: 22.7
Key statistic: 23.5 percent FT shooting
Grade: D-

Parker shoots the ball fewer than five times a game, fewer than everyone except Ashton Pankey among those averaging at least 20 minutes of PT. In addition, he has taken 17 total free throws—again, fewer than all but Pankey. A particularly bad stat when you consider he's only made four of them.

OK. Fine. Not everyone's a scorer. Unfortunately, though, there's more. He grabs less than four rebounds per game. He dishes out 1.8 assists while committing 2.6 turnovers and 2.2 fouls.

I know he's still young, but the team clearly needs the 6'5" wingman to step up. So far, he's just not doing it.

I'm dating myself here, but it reminds me of John C. McGinley's line from Office Space, when his character is grilling a workplace slacker: "What would you say it is...you do here?"

6. Berend Weijs

Position: Center
Class: Senior
Minutes per game: 14.5
Key statistic: 2.3 rebounds per game
Grade: D+

The Amsterdam native is, uh, a little outmatched out there some times. But when you're the tallest guy on the team, there's no choice but to keep trotting you out there.

Weijs has no real offensive game to speak of, though he has a not-unrespectable 3.8 ppg, mainly coming on putbacks and such. He is also an OK inside defender. He seems most comfortable when giving weak-side help, rising up to turn back the advances of a pesky point guard. That's reflected in his 0.7 bpg average.

But despite an offseason weight-gaining regimen, Weijs is still rail thin and doesn't seem capable of asserting himself. Maybe that's why he trails every single other Terp—including every guard—in the rebounding department among those playing at least 10 mpg.

 
(Photo credit: Eugene Huskey photography)

5. Ashton Pankey

Position: Forward
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Minutes per game: 26.3
Key statistic: Seven rebounds per game
Grade: B

Did I see a little sugar in Pankey's game last night?

Coming into the season, fans had no idea what to expect from Ashton, who missed almost two full years with a leg injury. No one's going to confuse him with Karl Malone anytime soon, but the redshirt bruiser has flashed a suprisingly nifty offensive game to complement his Padgett-like propensity for dirty work.

4. Nick Faust

Position: Point Guard (for now)
Class: Freshman
Minutes per game:30.2
Key statistic: 24.5 FG percentage
Grade: C-

Bragging that Faust leads the Terps in assists is like bragging that you lead the airline industry in customer service. But facts is facts. And it's especially important to note that one, given that he's playing out of position only six games into his college career.

I have to point out, though, how overwhelmed and sloppy Faust has played as he adjusts to big-league college basketball. He doesn't seem willing or able to play within himself, or Turgeon's offense. He leads the team in assists (2.5 per game), but also in turnovers (17 total, and 2.8 per contest). It's crazy how often he just throws the ball away.

It also seems to be affecting his concentration when it comes to his bread and butter: scoring the basketball. His shooting performances thus far: 1-6, 4-9, 1-7, 3-12, 2-11.

There's a grace period here that buoys Faust's grade a bit. And it's still early; there's no better time to be working out the kinks. So relax, Nick. Can I get you a soda? Take a breath. You're gonna be fine.

3. Sean Mosley

Position: Guard
Class: Senior
Minutes per game: 31.2
Key statistic: 2.2 turnovers per game
Grade: D

Everyone likes Sean Mosley. As the team's only senior who has spent his full college career at Maryland, he's the unquestioned leader and elder statesman of this team. He has a clear will to win. He gets after it in practice. He gets after his teammates. He says all the right things to the media. He has a very clean and well-tended beard.

Yep, Mosley has everything going for him. Except, of course, for that small matter of actually playing good basketball in a basketball game that counts for something.

I don't know why this should come as a surprise to anyone. Not to toot my own horn, but I wrote about this last season, too. And the season before that. As did plenty of others. You can't count on this guy when it matters. 

What's truly frustrating is that he makes just enough plays—a swishing off-balance three here, a gorgeous driving and-1 layup there—to remind you that he is, indeed, a talented player. He's second on the team in scoring, after all.

But, for whatever reason, his contributions are always a day late and a dollar short. Maybe that's part of why the team has looked so rudderless early on. In basketball, you just can't lead from behind. 

2. James Padgett

Position: Forward
Class: Junior
Minutes per game: 23.2
Key statistic:  9.3 points per game
Grade: B-

The Brooklyn product dropped 16 on the Illini last night in just another example of how far Padgett's game has (finally) evolved. He was quiet—perhaps a little too quiet—down the stretch as he and the rest of the team ran out of gas. But overall, he was a powerful presence in the post, and very well might be the second-best player on this team right now.

1. Terrell Stoglin

Position: Guard
Class: Sophomore
Minutes per game: 32.8
Key statistic: 21 points per game
Grade: B+

His sloppiness and ball-chuckery give fans and coaches fits. And it doesn't seem unlikely to change anytime soon, especially while he's the unquestioned best player on the roster.

And granted, 1.5 assists to 2.7 turnovers per game is not what you want out of your star guard. But when your team needs a spark and you have a guy currently leading the ACC in scoring, you tend to overlook the warts.

There were times last night when the Illini simply could not check Stoglin, who wound up with 25 on 8-of-17 shooting. When he fires on all cylinders, he is an extremely tough cover. He also appears to have bulked up a bit from last year, which is good to see.

Still, sloppy play, uneven defense, questionable shot selection and pretty poor free throw shooting (74 percent on the season) are going to keep him out of A territory. But Terrell—since I know you're reading this—there's plenty of time to shore up your weaknesses. Or at least cover them up better.