Terps Stifled in Puerto Rico-What We Learned

Posted by Griffin Wong on November 26, 2011 under ACC Basketball | Comments are off for this article

Coach Turgeon and the Terps went down to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Tip-off, and things did not go well. However, many saw this coming because of Maryland’s lack of depth and experience. Despite the struggles, I was able to pick up a couple early things about the team.

This Team Goes as Terrell Stoglin Goes

Well, this isn’t a surprise. It’s more of a confirmation instead of a discovery. This Maryland team has 7 scholarship players available right now. 7. And I don’t want to knock any of the student-athletes, but none of them are even close to as good as Stoglin is. Against Colorado, Stoglin took control of the game in the 2nd half, and lead the Terps to victory. If the Terps ever find themselves in a position to beat a great team, it will be because of Stoglin.

Athletic Teams=Trouble

Both Alabama and Iona (a good team, by the way) ran the Terps out of the gym with their athleticism. This Maryland team doesn’t have the athletes or depth to run all game long. Athletic, long big men like Alabama’s Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green will dominate the Terps this season. Iona was able to run up and down the floor, and the Terps couldn’t keep up. The Gaels forced 26 turnovers. It’s ironic that Maryland, a program known for running and pressing, will have to play slow this year to win.

The 3-Ball is a Problem

Before I highlight a weakness, I do want to give credit to Sean Mosley for improving his jumper. A year ago, Terps fans held their breath whenever he shot from the outside. Mosley is 9-18 from 3 point land thus far. However, as a whole, this team does not shoot well. Stoglin can get hot, but no one would classify him as a “good” outside shooter. Nick Faust has played well, but some have already dubbed him “Brick Faust”. Mike Parker is a slasher, so he’s not going to shoot 3′s. Other teams will pick up on this, and will simply collapse on Maryland’s penetration. The Terps are not a good shooting team, so opponents won’t fear kick-outs.

Big Men Have Impressed

Ashton Pankey has probably been the biggest (pleasant) surprise thus far. After struggling with injuries the past two seasons, the redshirt freshman has averaged nearly 9 rebounds per game this season. Pankey is Maryland’s best defender and most athletic big. If he can develop offensively, Pankey could turn into a fantastic player. James Padgett has also improved immensely this season. Padgett isn’t a great rebounder or defender, but he has looked polished offensively this season. One of his spin move against Colorado had me so shocked, my jaw hit the floor!

Other Impressive Players

Nick Faust has been a better ball-handler than I expected. He’s had some freshman-like struggles turning the ball over, but he’s athletic and talented so I’m confident he will play better as the season wears on. Mike Parker has played much better as well. In sparse minutes last season, Parker looked like a deer in headlights. This year, he’s much more confident with the ball, and can take it to the rack. However, defensively, Parker still needs to improve.

We saw what we expected to see in Puerto Rico. The Terps played a little sloppy, but as fans we must accept that this is a rebuilding season. However, rest assured that Coach Turgeon will have this team playing better, smarter basketball as the season goes on, especially when Alex Len and Pe’Shon Howard return.