Terps Sweep Post-season honors

By Ben Linton

An amazing season for Maryland Terrapins Basketball was rewarded recently when Greivis Vasquez was named player of the year in the ACC and Gary Williams was named Coach of the year. Freshman Jordan Williams was second in the voting for rookie of the year, which went to Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech.

Vasquez was the first Terp to snag MVP honors since Juan Dixon did in 2002, when the Terps won the National Championship. Vasquez played brilliantly down the stretch, averaging 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in his senior season at College Park. He exploded for a career high 41 points against Virginia Tech and Malcolm Delaney, who finished third in MVP voting. Then Vasquez scored 20 and triumphantly led Maryland to a victory against rival Duke and Jon Scheyer, who finished second in the voting. Greivis has come a long way in his years at Maryland- I remember last year against Georgia Tech when he got into it with his own fans in a game and has at times single-handedly lost games for the Terps. But I really believe that he has benefited from one more season in college and was rewarded for doing so and adored by Maryland fans, coaches and players alike.

Gary Williams won ACC Head Coach of the Year since 2002, coincidence right? I hope so. Williams led the Terps to a 23-7 record and a 13-3 conference record, sharing the ACC Title. A lot of fuss was made last year about Gary’s job security when he was criticized for his lack of recruiting skills, internal problems with AD Debbie Yow, and inability to motivate his players on the court. Although I thought that last season was Williams’ best coaching job of his career due to the level of talent he had to work with, this is still very satisfying. It feels good to silence your doubters, and Gary did just that. The most winningest coach in Maryland history will be able to decide on his own when he decides to leave College Park, because no one is knocking down the door for a replacement any time soon.

Hopefully this is just a beginning to an already remarkable season and turnaround for Maryland Basketball.

Should Gary Bench Greivis?

This pretty much sums up Vasquez's play in the first 8 games of the season

By Ben Linton

If you have been following Maryland Terrapins Basketball for the past 2 or 3 years, you should be familiar with the name Greivis Vasquez. You should also know that through many ups and downs, Maryland goes as Vasquez goes. He has lead the team to many big wins, but also some shocking defeats.

So Maryland stands at 5-3 early into this season, with disappointing losses to three possible resume boosters in Cincinnati, Villanova, and Wisconsin. Their star Vasquez has struggled, shooting 32% from the field and 28% from three with 30 turnovers. Right now Vasquez is not playing like the senior leader he should be. Quite frankly he is the 4th best player right now behind Milbourne, Hayes, and Mosely. But as mentioned earlier, Maryland goes as Vasquez goes, and right now things are headed in the wrong direction.

So when the Terps take on Eastern Kentucky this afternoon, don’t be surprised if you see #21 not in the starting line up. Now the Terps will have Dino Gregory back from suspension and at their disposal, and could possibly go with a Hayes, Mosely, Milbourne, Gregory, Williams line up. Don’t be shocked if Gary tries to send a message to his star player to pick it up.

Hopefully this is just a slump that Greivis can shake off, because the ship needs to be righted soon and get back on track.