Maryland Terrapins Have High Hopes for Road Ahead

Senior guard Greivis Vasquez and his fellow Maryland Terrapins have reason to smile this holiday season.

Every year the Terps must gear up for their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, hoping to make waves among the elite ranks of college basketball. At 8-2 Maryland has successfully navigated through two tough losses to top 10-ranked teams (Georgetown and Gonzaga), and now feel momentum is on their side.

This week UMD was able to erase the stinging sensation from last year’s embarrassing defeat to American University, securing redemption with a 67-51 victory on Monday night.

Along with the steady leadership from Vasquez, Maryland is getting quality minutes and production from senior forward Dave Neal.

“We’re getting more confident because we have a more steady rotation now,” said an exuberant Neal, who finished his night against AU with 14 points and six rebounds. 

“We know who’s going to be in the game, who’s starting and in practice we get to play with those five guys every day.  The more you play with those players the more confident you get.”

The players are buying into coach Gary Williams’ system of swarming defense and strong backcourt play.

Williams utilizes half-court traps and favors man-to-man defense, as opposed to a conventional zone approach. He believes that he can get the opponents to make untimely mistakes, creating turnovers. Turnovers generally lead to easy scoring opportunities.

Vasquez is unequivocally the go-to-guy on this year’s squad. He leads the team with an average of 17.1 points, 5.1 assists, and just under two steals per game. His crosscourt buddy, junior guard Eric Hayes, is the premier setup man.

Hayes dishes the rock with routine ease, and likes to take the occasional three-pointer if the situation presents itself. He is second behind Vasquez in three-pointers made with 15.

All of these stats will hopefully get better as the competition heats up next month. The whole month of January for the Terps is filled with games against their ACC foes.

On Jan. 10, Maryland hosts the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Comcast Center. Also, Terps fans will want to mark their calendars for the Jan. 24 game against fifth-ranked rival Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. This rivalry has been a must-see battle since coach Williams took over from the disgraced Bob Wade, way back in 1990.

Of course even non-college basketball fans know who is the head coach at Duke. Mike Krzyzewski is as recognizable as pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. They are always on the menu.

He is a legend in the sporting world, having coached the Blue Devils for 28 straight seasons. In his tenure, Coach K has taken his teams to 10 Final Fours (third most in history), won 10 ACC championships, and has captured three NCAA championships.

His counterpart, Gary Williams, coached the Terrapins to their one and only NCAA championship in 2002. When these two teams get together, everyone anticipates a great show.

As 2009 approaches, look for the Terrapins to heed the call of their tempestuous coach and protect the damn ball.

Be positive and positive things will happen. Maryland is playing beyond expectations and if they compete hard every game, the sky is the limit for what they can accomplish.