On the surface, a guard transferring in from Albany doesn’t really raise the excitement meter too much, but when you really think about it, this could be a brilliant move.  He has already graduated form Albany, so he will be eligible immediately for his final season.

For the season, he averaged 13.8 points, but what really sticks out to me is he had 13 at Pitt, 20 at Syracuse, and 13 at Maryland.  He isn’t the dead eye shooter form three the team could really use, but he did hit on 35%, which isn’t awful.  If nothing else, he is going to provide some experience and leadership to his young teammates, but he could also play 8-10 minutes a game, and gives Coach Turgeon some flexibility at the guard spot.  It could also mean Nick Faust could move to the three for a while if Jake Layman isn’t ready to contribute as much as we all expect him to.

Like I said, it isn’t a flashy addition, but it is going to help with some depth and if nothing else give those young guards a little more competition in practice.  Welcome aboard Logan!

With the three recent departures from the basketball team, the future of Maryland basketball took and immediate hit, that will pay dividends in the long run.  Personally I don’t know what to think of next season, but without Terrell Stoglin and his scoring, the path back to the NCAA Tournament will be a little more difficult.  Yet, I still expect it to be an exciting season that will lead to a lot of hope for a very successful future.

There is no way to deny it.  Terrell Stoglin was a scorer.  He wasn’t always the most complete player or team player, but at times, he was option 1, 2, and 3.  It is hard to blame him, but at times it just wasn’t the way you like to see your basketball.  Part of my homer mind liked to think that with some additional help around him he was going to play better team basketball.  If that wasn’t the case, Mark Turgeon was going to have a complete team and some options to plant him on the bench if he didn’t.   One way or the other, he was going to conform, or be on the bench.

So while the immediate future took a hit, we now shift our focus to what the Terps will have.  I think everyone really took a liking to Nick Faust’s game as the season progressed.  His jumper wasn’t a think of beauty, but he found a way to score.  He defended from day 1, played out of position with out any complaints, and really improved as the season wore on.  With Stoglin’s departure and the graduation of Sean Mosley, time at the 2 guard opened up and you have to think Faust will log the bulk of the minutes there.

Sean Mosley had anchored the 3 for the past four years.  Originally I thought Faust was going to be an excellent 3.  He could slash, score in the lane, or get all the way to the rim.  But with his move to the off guard, it looks like Jake Layman is the likely candidate at the small forward.  Layman also has the ability to get to the rim and also, hit some outside shots.  Faust is in the middle of smoothing out his shot, so I don’t know how reliable his outside shooting will become, but it appears Layman will be able to hit his shots with some regularity.  Sure he is a freshman, but if the Terps are going to threaten to get into the NCAA field, some freshman are going to have to step up, why not Layman?

Finally, on to the big men.  I am really excited about the front court.  I think an entire off season, and then an entire season is going to allow Alex Len to really get into the flow.  We saw a glimpse of what he could do at time, and at others, it was hard to believe someone so big and athletic could be such a nonfactor.  I truly believe he is going make a difference this year.  James Padgett will likely start alongside Len.  Some people have never really warmed up to Padgett.  He is not going to dominate a game, but if he improves on his defensive rebounding this season, he is going to be an integral part of the team.  He has some post moves (that usually don’t include a kickout), can hit the offensive glass, and has been around the block.  He is what he is.  Not a star, but someone who is going to help Alex Len inside.

Here is where the things start to get exciting for me.  The addition of the freshman truly is the start of the Mark Turgeon era.  I hate to get too hyped up since the players have yet play a minute, but the previews certainly leave hope for the future.  If not the immediate future, two or three years down the road.   With Shaq Cleare, Charles Mitchell, Seth Allen, and Sam Cassell Jr. in this year, and Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz already on board for next season there appears to be some quality players and depth.  If Pe’Shon Howard can get healthy and really focus on running the team, it will make it a lot easier to ease Allen, or Cassell Jr. into a backup role.

And if the influx of youth doesn’t excite you enough, there is still that (probably small) chance that the Harrison Twins could choose to play for Maryland.  I wish I had this kind of excitement surrounding Randy Edsall and the football team, but they are at the total opposite end of the spectrum.  I am so apathetic about the team right now, I don’t really know one thing that happened during the spring season.  Hopefully as the season approaches, I will get that feeling back, but I truly don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the team.  Basketball on the other hand makes me want to fast forward right through the summer, and past the football season right into that game with Kentucky.  I for one am all in for basketball right now and the future.

Bad news for my spell check as University of Michigan, well former University of Michigan Basketball player Evan Smotrycz has announced that he will be transferring to Maryland.  Of course he will have to sit out this upcoming season but will be eligible for two more years starting in 2013-2014.

If you are a Maryland walk on, and lord knows there are plenty of them, the massacre continues as the Terps continue to add more scholarship players.  Smotrycz is a 6’9″ forward from Reading Massachusetts, who came out of high school as a 4 Star Prospect.

At Michigan he averaged 7.7 points per game and 4.8 rebounds playing around 20 minutes a game.  Though he won’t be doing much this season, but I imagine will be contributing pretty regularly after this season.

Needless to say, the Terps has issues with depth this past season.  I don’t think that will be an issue for a few more years.  Anyway, welcome to Maryland Evan Smotrycz.  We wish you all the best.

Gone is Mychal Parker, in comes Charles Mitchell who submitted his Letter of Intent to Coach Turgeon today.  Mitchell, is a 6’8″ PF from Marietta Georgia.  He is listed by Rivals as the number 12 prospect in the Nation at the PF position.  Overall he is ranked 92 in Rivals 150.  He originally committed prior to the Wake Forest ACC Tournament game, but today it became official.

Obviously another great get for the Terps as they continue to add size.  I don’t claim to be on the level as some recruiting experts, but the Terps adding size is good news to me!  Speaking of recruiting experts, the 2012 class is now ranked 13th in the nation.

For the upcoming season, I continue to hold out hope that these additions will propel us back into the NCAA Tournament.  I read another pre-season ranking that didn’t have the Terps in the Top 25, but had them as a team worth watching.

Of course this is all well and good, but not much matters until we tip off the 2012-13 season, so it is hard to get too excited, but you can quickly see Turgeon transforming this into his program and bringing in the players he wants.  No offense to Parker, but this past week is pretty symbolic of the transition into the new era.  Gone is Parker, in is Mitchell.

You’d have to give pretty high marks for Turgeon and Bino Ranson for this first full class.  Even if Sam Cassell Jr. does decide to go elsewhere.  The future is looking bright!

If you follow Maryland Basketball recruiting carefully, you would not  be surprised to hear that a player has transferred.  The truth is, if Sam Cassell Jr. and Rysheed Jordan were to commit to Maryland, there may not be enough scholarships to go around for that highly sought after pair of twins from Houston in 2013.  Of course getting the Harrison twins is still not something you would bet your house on, but you can’t close the door on them yet either.

Today it was announced that Mychal Parker will transfer.  According to several sources, Parker had a meeting with Coach Turgeon and was told his playing time may be affecting by some of his incoming recruits.  You have to think that likely means Nick Faust will get some more run as a three and at shooting guard instead of running the point, and incoming freshman Jake Layman will be right there as well.  It also means Turgeon is expecting Seth Allen and/or Sam Cassell Jr. will get the point guard mintues with Pe’Shon Howard.

Parker left with a nothing but good things to say about his time at Maryland, his teammates and coaches.  I know Parker wasn’t the impact player many people thought he was going to be, but you could see him coming into his own at times last year.  He played some pretty solid defense late in the season and showed he could score, especially in the open court.  I think given the chance he could have been a solid contributor over his final two seasons.  It looks like that solid play will be at either East Carolina, Loyola, or Alabama Birmingham. We wish you nothing but the best Mychal!

Stay tuned for more on the basketball front.  I have a sneaking suspicion this is not going to be the last player to announce he is going elsewhere.  You can say one thing about Turgeon.  He is brutally honest, and I think people will respect that.  I would much prefer to hear it straight up then to try and fight for a spot and then be told that I wasn’t going to get the time I was thinking I would get.  You have to think things are looking up, and this is just another step in Turgeon making this his program.

One day anything can happen, the next day the favorites hold serve.  Not many surprises as we found out half of the Sweet 16 yesterday.  This is good news for those who are already in the drivers seat.  Terrible for those who need something wacky to happen in order to get back into this thing.

Here are the current standings, the parenthesis now indicate how many Elite 8 teams the person has left:

Kristin 39 (6)

Lee 35 (6)

Bob Wev 33 (7)

Alex 31 (8)

Chris 31 (8)

Bob Wim 29 (6)

J 28 (6)

John U 28 (5)

Jodi 27 (6)

John F 25 (6)

Trish 23 (4)

Laura 18 (5)

In the Hunt

Kristin continues her run at the top having just about everything go right that could go right yesterday.  The only chink in her armour (if I am allowed to use that term) is the Missouri Final Four pick.  Though still with a comfortable lead, those who are chasing her with more Elite 8 teams left, now have some reason for hope.

Lee is up next, she also earned a lot of circles on her bracket yesterday and made a jump into second.  Like Kristin though, she is short a Final Four team having Duke beat Kentucky for a trip to New Orleans.  Needless to say, the quicker UK leaves, the better off Lee will be.  But based on last nights game, I don’t see Kentucky going anywhere soon.

I am holding steady in third place, right about where I want to be.  I have the Missouri loss haunting me, but overall, still have a bracket I can be proud of.  Seven of my Elite 8 teams are still hanging around.

Next up is Alex.  Alex dropping in the standings, yet I stil feel is better off today than he was yesterday.  He has all of his Elite 8 still in play giving him a little more ammo for the remaining fight.  The only thing I worry about is seeing Syracuse as his Champion, seems like the Orange have been squeaking by the first two rounds.  I’m not sure how much more luck they have left in them.

Yesterday’s bigger winner had to be Chris.  He moved from an after thought to a legitimate threat in one day.  Like Alex he has all his Elite 8 left, and unlike Alex he has a National Champion pick of Kentucky.  It is still early, but I don’t see anyone beating the Wildcats the way they are clicking.  I guess Chris is serious about keeping the $15 for the website as I am…it’s about time!

Bob Wim is next.  He isn’t that bad off, but his bracket is not as clean as those in front of him.  Still I put him in the hunt because He has a lot of points still available.  In fact his pick of Ohio in the Sweet 16 could very much happen.  Like Alex though, Bob Wim will live and die with the Orange.

In the Lodge

J picked up 8 points yesterday, but the Missouri loss is like a tumor that just won’t go away.  Unless someone can knock out Mich State to nullify the points coming out of the west, J is in serious trouble.  I won’t write him completely off though because he has FSU going further than just about anyone else, so if the Seminoles reward his loyalty, he may be able to stick around.

John U has only Kentucky left to get him points in the West AND South.  That can’t be good.  He is basically fighting with one hand behind his back, and is already in a hole.  The Midwest and East still look pretty so you can’t completely write him off yet, but a bad day today could seal his fate.

John F is not next point wise, but he will be so I might as well put him there.   Though behind Jodi, he still has life with 6 of his Elite teams still out there.  He can also still get a perfect Final Four, so keep the faith John, it isn’t over yet.

Mounted on the Wall

Jodi, should be ahead of John in the recap, and she still is in terms of points, but with both Finalist gone, I can’t see her hanging around much longer.  Granted Marquette can help her out.

Trish has lost half of her Final Four and is already well behind the leaders.  I think the writing may be on the wall.  She has a wildcard in Cincinnati, but it probably won’t be enough.

Laura’s bracket is so bad, I have to construct one of those contraptions you used to make in Elementary School so that you can safely watch a solar eclipse.  To look directly at it would only cause me long term vision problems.  Her South is completely closed for points and the Midwest is about to.  By now Laura just needs to cheer for crazy stuff to happen, and then maybe she can somehow weasle her way back into this.

So there is the recap, we finalize the Sweet 16 today and will have an update hopefully either late tonight or early tomorrow.  If the recent patern holds, today should be back to the wacky day.

Day 1 was every reason the tournament exists, the better team wins and we get a little closer to seeing who the best team in the Nation is.  Day 2 was every reason why we love March Madness…PURE CHAOS!!

While yesterday was certainly fun to watch, it sure got exhausting crossing off all the wrong answers.  I felt like a math teacher in a school with not many Asians (no offense Jeremy Lin).  And as I mentioned at the end of the last update, unlike Day 1, Day 2 certainly saw some brackets die.  J and Jodi, thanks for coming out.  Temple and Missouri will not be winning the National Championship.

As mentioned before, I actually loved the Missouri pick, but that turned out to be like a guy saying to his wife “I have a good feeling about this sketchy hitchhiker we are about to pick up” before the family is found massacred on a back road.  Sorry for the jinx J.

So here are the standings now.  Don’t be fooled, though some people look to be right in the thick of things, inside they are already dead:

Kristin* 23 (13)

Bob Wim 21 (13)

Alex 21 (12)

John U* 20 (12)

J 20 (10)

Bob Wev* 19 (13)

Lee* 19 (13)

Trish 19 (12)

Jodi 19 (12)

John F* 19 (10)

Chris 19 (10)

Laura 16 (12)

Smooth Sailing:

If nothing else Kristin had a good day just by simply not having a bad day.  Meanwhile all those trying to run her down fell further off the pace.  Looking at her bracket, losing a Final Four team with Missouri hurt, but otherwise, a lot of potential points are still there for the taking.

Bob Wim, led by Ohio beating Michigan, pulled closer to the top having all his Sweet 16 teams in the East and Midwest survive round 1.  The loss of Duke will hurt (though I doubt he is crying over a Duke loss) as will his Final Four team of Missouri bowing out, but otherwise, not a bad situation.

Alex, though third may end up being the best bracket coming out of round 1.  Hard to believe, but his entire Elite 8 is still intact.  No long term damage has been committed, in fact the road for some of his Elite 8 teams even got a little easier.

Little Choppy:

John U didn’t have the best day when you look at his actual picks and results, but by not doing as poorly as others he found himself inching closer to the top.  The most impressive aspect of John’s bracket is that he successfully called the USF-Ohio match up in round 2.  John did lose Missouri and Duke, but that seems to be a running theme in this recap.

J is up next in the standings.  Like a termite infested house, he may look good on the outside, but he is rotten away on the inside.  Any sudden breeze could take the whole thing down.  J lost his National Championship team of Missouri (Turns out St. Louis would have been a better pick from the “Show Me” State).  J also had St. Mary’s making the Elite 8, which to the shock of no one outside of Mt. Airy, didn’t happen.  J now pins his hope entirely on FSU going as far as they possibly can, which could somehow save his bracket if they make a deep run.

Next up is me, I lost Missouri as a Final Four team, but not much else.  I have 7 of my Elite 8 left, so though I am in the middle of the pack now, there is potential to move up.  I actually like what I see when I look at my sheet.  Then again, I also like J’s Missouri pick, so maybe I should start to panic!

Lee is my sister, but not my twin sister.  Hard to tell in this contest as we seem to tie each and every round.  Not only in points, but in remaining teams left.  Lee didn’t lose a Final Four team in Missouri, but she did in Duke.  Otherwise she still has a ton of potential points to go.  I think when this is all said and done, she too will be heading towards the top of the standings.

Rough Waters

Trish lost a National Championship Finalist in Temple, as well as a couple Elite 8′s.  And the sleeper pick of Memphis to the Final Four isn’t going to happen.  In fact when the New Mexico-Louisville game goes final her West will be closed for business.  Things are not looking hot at the moment.

John F is in the Rough Waters category, but I’d say he is the King of the Division as I give him the best shot of getting out of it and pulling himself back into the thick of things.  John lost UNLV which hurt, but I really don’t see anything on his bracket to really be upset about.  Seven of his Elite 8 picks are still around, so things could be worse.  Look for John to make a move in round two.

I’m putting this is in the Rough Waters category, though in actuality, Jodi is at the bottom of the ocean.  The UNLV-Temple final isn’t happening, and there probably aren’t enough other points hanging around to make up for those two misfires.  Thanks for playing Jodi and good luck in the Danny O’Brien sweepstakes.

Finally a little bit of life from my writing partner.  In fact Chris downright had a good day bringing himself back into this thing.  Unfortunately he still has some work to do, but if he wants to save Turtledroppings some cash, it isn’t too late.  Chris actually has all 8 Elite 8 teams so a Jesus like comeback isn’t out of the question (is it too early for Easter references??).

So there is where we sit. Let Round 2 begin!

Ten Years ago the Terps has just won their 1st National Championship and were on the verge of bringing in a highly touted recruiting class. Today their season ends on Friday of the ACC Tournament which closes out a resume that won’t be strong enough to garner an NIT bid. Sigh.

I guess I would be more depressed if it wasn’t for the fact that things are going to get better. After all, we knew this year was going to be tough, I guess I just couldn’t wrap my head around how difficult it was going to be for us fans. You try to keep your distance and curb your expectations, but as soon as you see the red and white uniforms on the hardwood, you just want them to play like they did in 2002.

The good news is it is time to move forward. The fact that this team won 7 ACC games, is pretty encouraging. I don’t know what our O/U win total was for conference wins coming in, but I never would have predicted 7. Throw in the two times we came up short in OT and the season wasn’t anywhere near the disaster we suspected it might be.

It will be tough to say good bye to Sean Mosley as he really was a pillar of stability on this young team, but assuming Stoglin stays (and my money would be on that he will), and with the emergence of Faust, the development of Len, the size coming in, and the return of a healthy Pe’shon Howard, there is no reason to think we can’t set our expectations higher come Midnight Madness 2012.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Midnight Madness is still 7 months away.

First, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed todays game.  It was close for a little while, but when Maryland had a chance to put the game away, they did just that.  I also have to say that I was at a restaurant watching the game with a coworker, so I was only able to pay about 90% attention to the game, so some of facts or time line may be a little off.

Two things stand out for me.  First was the play of Terrell Stoglin.  That was his most complete effort of the season.  He played within himself.  He got his offense in the context of the team offense.  I can only think of one shot that he took of 14 official attempts that I was truly upset with.  He rebounded, he finished with four assists, and dove for loose balls.  He played as good of a game as he has all season.  Maybe it was getting the first team All ACC snub, or maybe it was just one of those days, but he played a near perfect game in my mind.  If this is the type of all around play he is capable of, he will be preseason All ACC next year, and at the end of the year he may very well be player of the year.  But, lets see how that plays out going forward.  A lot can happen between now and then.

Also, I think Nick Faust is developing rapidly before our eyes.  He played his best game all season.  We know he can finish on the break, but today he hit a nice pull up jumper and canned a wide open three.  He only had 2 assists, but most importantly he only had one turnover.  I also think he is really starting to grasp the offense.  They showed it in slow motion, but with Len drawing a lot of attention in the lane, and Stoglin closely guarded he made a nice backdoor cut and scored an easy basket after a nice pass from Stoglin.  About the only negative that quickly comes to my mind was the botched possession at the end of the half.  Once Nick works out the kinks on the free throws, he will really be an above average player in all aspects of the game.  He’s not there yet, but he showed a little bit of everything today.  If he can do it with consistency, he will be a huge help to freeing up Stoglin a little.

As for the rest of the team, I think Alex Len played pretty well.  He didn’t do anything overly impressive, but he played a pretty solid all around game.  I think Mychal Parker continues to play his role pretty well.  He is becoming a reliable bench player that can defend and is pretty good in transition.  When he comes in these days, I don’t cringe.   I think he is becoming a player you can count on to help instead of hurt when he gets on the floor.

You also have to think about the extra burn walk on Jonathon Thomas got today.  I looked up at one point and figured he was in to give Faust or Stoglin a breather, but they were both out there as well.  I think anything you get out of a walk on has to be considered a huge success.  I was thinking Turgeon was starting to think that Stoglin, Faust and Mosley were playing too many minutes and that is why Thomas was out there, but I really don’t know what the exact reasoning was.  Again, for today it was a move that didn’t hurt the Terps.

I got my wish.  I wanted them to win for the experience of the quick turnaround.  This season is about learning, and playing and advancing in tournaments are important steps they need to have.  It was a great team victory today.  They were able to take advantage of Wake getting in foul trouble, and took advantage of some Wake turnovers to get out and score in transition.

Up next is potential NCAA Tournamen number one seed North Carolina.  The Heels will be well rested, and maybe Maryland will be able to take advantage of that and get out to a quick start while UNC gets it’s sea legs.  As long as they compete hard, I will be happy with what I have seen most of the season.  Of course, I am not ready to give up on the season quite yet.

One recruiting note.  The Terps received a commitment from Charles Mitchell out of Georgia today.  He is a 4 star power forward that is ranked in the top 100 in all of the major recruiting services I have seen.  The Terps are building a very solid front court for the future.  I am really getting excited about the future.  Now, if the Harrison twins, would like to follow their good friend Shaq Cleare to CP things will really be looking up.  Still, Turgeon has put together a very solid class in his first full recruiting cycle, on paper anyway.  It will be a pleasure watching to see what he can do with them on the court.  Welcome aboard Charles!

As Maryland is preparing for Wake Forest in ACC Tournament, a couple of players earnwd some well deserved honors.  Terrell Stoglin earned Second Team All ACC and Nick Faust made the all Freshman team.  Stoglin has been Maryland most lethal scoring threat, yet there were some times where you could say he hurt the Terps with his play.  I think I fall somewhere in between with how I feel about Stoglin.  I know you have to live with some of his forced shots, and sometimes he makes them.  However, it always seemed he picked the wrong time to try and do too much.  In his defense, if he didn’t try and make something happen, the game was going to have the same outcome, but sometimes you could see the writing on the wall.  Still, I shudder to think what this season would have been like without him, and quite honestly, hope he and Coach Turgeon can get on the same page this offseason.

As far as Faust goes, I was very excited with the way he progressed.  He was put in the incredibly difficult position of playing a position he never played.  Now all the sudden he had to do at a high major college.  I was really impressed when he took over after Pe’Shon Howard’s season ending injury.  He seemed to be in a little more of an attack mode, and really grasped the offense.  The kid has some serious skills.  If he can work out the kinks on his shot, and develop a little bit of a pull up game, the sky is the limit for him.

As far as this tournament goes, I like the match up with Wake.  I don’t like the noon start (11:00 for me).  The place will be dead.  The opening game of an expanded tournament won’t really get to many people there.  Everyone knows the tournament really starts on Friday.  Or else it would be broadcast on ESPN instead of ESPNU!  Anyway, Wake is there for the taking.  I really hope they can win.  I like the idea of them playing back to backs, and the quick turn arounds tournament success requires.  I think it will be great experience for the future.  I also will be interested in seeing how Stoglin comes out.  I am quite sure that benching to start the second half is in the back of his mind.  I can see him keeping that in his head through out the tournament.  Of course if he gets it going, maybe he can carry us all the way…. nah, let me get out of my dream world.  I will settle for a win against Wake and a good effort against Carolina.