James Gist: Your new San Antonio Spur

With the 57th Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, The San Antonio Spurs have selected Forward James Gist from the University of Maryland.

Gist averaged 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game this past season and was the team leader and captain.

A few articles to note talking about James Gist and his selection to San Antonio.

The Diamondback : http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2008/06/26/Sports/Gist-Drafted.By.Spurs.With.57th.Pick-3385946.shtml

The Washington Times : http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/d1scourse/2008/Jun/26/gist-spurs-second-round/

The Baltimore Sun : http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/basketball/bal-gist627,0,558825.story

Having landed on the 2007 NBA Champions, things could have been worse for James. The Spurs also have a pretty good track record of drafting players who can succeed in the NBA. The Spurs currently have 7 unrestricted free agents, (Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Damon Stoudamire, Robert Horry, Jacque Vaughn, and Dermarr Johnson), leaving them with 8 players under contract and 3 new draft picks coming in. So there is definitely space on the roster for Gist to make the team.

The issue with being drafted in the 2nd round is that it is not a guaranteed contract for players and they have to work their way on the roster, which should not be a problem for the Forward from the Terps.

I project Gist starting the season off having trouble finding minutes, but at some point when given the chance will prove himself as a small forward who will also have the capability to guard some power forwards in the league. Gist will provide a mid range jumper, which a great instinct for blocking shots and rebounding.

James Gist was the 7th Terp to be drafted in the past 8 years (Strawberry, Wilcox, Dixon, Blake, Morris, Gist, Baxter).

Congrats James Gist!

2008 NBA Draft Day

Today is the day for the 2008 NBA Draft and Terp alum James Gist is the only Maryland player expected to potentially get drafted this evening.



Here are a few articles on the local product talking about his preperation for the draft.

University of Maryland student paper The Diamondback:
http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2008/06/26/Sports/Gist-Awaits.Future.In.Nba-3385421.shtml

The Washington Times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/25/certainty-a-luxury-for-gist-in-draft/

Some of Gist's stop and destinations during workouts: Houston; San Antonio; Sacramento, Calif.; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Cleveland; Toronto; and Milwaukee. Less than a week ago, Boston called to arrange a workout less than 36 hours before the draft.

Gist has been on a world tour and has been predicted to go in the last 5 to 10 picks of the second round to going undrafted and having to work his way into the league.

Steak's prediction: 52. Miami Heat - James Gist SF University of Maryland

Best of luck James!

Terps > Tar Heels

Rivals.com writer Andrew Skwara recently answered a few questions in his mailbag. Check out this question and answer...

Do you really believe Maryland's guards are better than North Carolina's?
Steven Smith from Jacksonville, Fla. -----

"Ty Lawson may not be part of the ACC's best backcourt.When I made the statement in my June 11 mailbag that Maryland would have the ACC's best backcourt next season, I must admit I didn't think Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson would pull out of the draft. But I still stand by the statement.

Nobody at any position may be as fast as Lawson, but Maryland's Greivis Vasquez is a better all-around point guard. Vasquez is a much better finisher around the basket (thanks largely to a 7-inch height advantage) and is one of the best playmakers in college basketball. If he were playing alongside Tyler Hansbrough, Vasquez would get the kind of attention Lawson does.

Though I'm not a big Ellington fan, you have to give him the edge over Maryland's Eric Hayes. Ellington is a good perimeter shooter but doesn't do anything else particularly well. Still, opponents have to be concerned with him. You can't say the same for Hayes, whose best attribute is his passing ability.

I think it's the return of talented sophomores Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie that give the Terps a slight edge. Both earned their way into the rotation last season and gained some valuable experience. Look for each to improve significantly and become among the best reserves in the league. The Tar Heels return seniors Marcus Ginyard and Bobby Frasor, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. Ginyard is a good defender but limited offensively. Frasor is an adequate backup point guard. Neither is going to make big strides at this point in his career. The

Tar Heels are adding guard Larry Drew, the No. 71-ranked prospect in the class of 2008. However, the Terps are adding guard Sean Mosley, ranked 62nd. That makes it tough to say anyone has the edge when it comes to newcomers."

Food for thought.

Former recruit should stick to his Day Job...

Summer league camps and games have opened up for the Tennessee Vols and new recruit, point guard Bobby Maze has apparently made quiet an impression. (For those who do not know, Maze was once a commitment for the upcoming Maryland Terp season, but was not able to hold onto the commitment because of certain reasons). He has a grasp on the starting point guard gig for the upcoming season after impressing a lot of the local media.

"Although he only scored 14 points, Maze delivered nine assists and showed a great ability to penetrate the lane and find the open man.
Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Maze was, in warm-ups he was taking mid-range jumpers and nailing them. Far too many modern players neglect the mid-range game in favor of jacking up ill-advised threes. Maze looked content to shoot the 15-footer, and he looked proficient at doing it. That's something UT needs." - The Mountain Press

However, the reason for bringing up the fellow Maze is because of the rap and youtube video that has recently appeared. In light of Shaq's freestyle on Kobe, I figured it would be an entertaining post to add the piece of art by Bobby Maze or should I say B. MAZE AKA BE AMAZED.



- Steak

Some People Never Learn and Some Feuds Never Die

Ladies and gentlemen, Don Imus is back at it. This morning on his radio show Imus was in a long and of course deep conversation about Adam “Pacman” Jones and his various run-ins with law enforcement. During his co-host’s explanation about Pacman’s night club incident Imus can be heard asking his co-host what color Pacman is. The reply was that Pacman is an African American to which the ever so eloquent Imus can be heard saying, “Well, there you go."

The audio clip can be heard here....http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/062308_imus.mp3

Now to some this may not seem to be a very serious transgression, but keep in mind this is not the first time Imus has said something inappropriate on the air. His “nappy headed hoes” remark caused a public outcry which led to his temporary suspension from the radio. I don’t know about the rest of you but I think enough is enough. This guy doesn’t deserve to be on the air anymore talking about sports or anything for that matter. Its sad that he was given a second chance and yet again his racist sentiment came out during a live show.

In other news....

The hottest new rapper in the streets right now is not Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, or even Kanye West. It’s the diesel himself, Shaquille O’Neal who has been making headlines with his new freestyle rap. In most rap songs the artist has a victim who he “disses” constantly and poetically. In Shaq’s new rap this individual is none other than the NBA’s MVP Kobe Bryant. "You know how I be," Shaq rapped. "Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." This is just a small excerpt from the soon to be grammy winning rap that Shaq performed in front of a live audience in a Phoenix nightclub. Throughout the whole song O’Neal can be heard making fun of Kobe and his inability to win a championship without him. Shaq also sang about how Kobe (during his rape trial) ruined his marriage by alleging that he had been with different women while married and paid these women up to $1 million in hush money. The video can be seen here on our blog:

O'Neal denies that the freestyle was meant to be a diss but more of him just joking around. He says in freestyling it's all in fun and in no way meant to harm Kobe. Well if those of you reading this blog have watched the video clip I think its safe to say this will not be taken as a joke. His raps were offensive and the fact that he is trying to play this off as a joke is even more rediculous than the rap itself. It will be interesting to see what Kobe is going to do about this rap. He may have to hit the studio to come up with his own diss on the Big Cactus. Either way, it's still pathetic and annoying to see two grown men bicker like little kids. And if you ask me, Shaq should be spending more time in the gym working on his conditioning then in nightclubs performing raps.


-Curry

Q&A with Jason McAlpin via UMTERPS

The University of Maryland's atheltic website, www.umterps.com recently had a question & answer session with former Terp swingman Jason McAlpin.

umterps.com: What are have you been doing since graduation?
Jason McAlpin: I am interning at Under Armour and working in their footwear division. It's going really well, this department is really growing so it's a good situation for me. I met Kevin Plank and Ryan Drew during the season. We stayed in touch and they brought me on to their rookie program.

umterps.com: You majored in marketing at Maryland, so how much are you able to apply from the classroom to the internship?
JM: A lot, really. A lot of what you learn in school is high-level marketing that you may not get a chance to utilize until you have your own company. I'm able to take a lot of the marketing principles and use them. I will be reaching out to some athletes to get their feedback on how performance is important to them, and what they associate with the Under Armour brand, and that's something I picked up in school.

To read the rest of this interview go to ... http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062008aaa.html

Scott Van Pelt Interview

Recently the website, http://www.examiner.com/ ran an interview with Maryland Terp alum and ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt. It was a rather brief interview, but interesting to pass along none the less.

Here is what SVP had to say about the Terps ...

"Well, I do my best to follow them. I try to get to at least two football and two basketball games a year. I think that Maryland has two fine coaches in Ralph Friedgen and Gary Williams. It drives me crazy to see people talk about firing him. He has done a great deal for Maryland basketball and in my mind, has earned the right to leave when he wishes. He came back to his alma mater and made it a top-name basketball school again. He is a class act and we are lucky to have him. Personally, I hope he will be around Maryland for a long time."

To read the entire interview go to, http://www.examiner.com/a-1454142~Examiner_Exclusive__ESPN_s_Scott_Van_Pelt.html

ACC Football Breakdown

www.bleacherrepots.com recently had an interview with Patrick Hite from accnation.com to talk about the upcoming ACC College Football season. Some Interesting notes to pass along from the interview...

-"In the Atlantic, I like Maryland as a surprise team. They need to settle on a quarterback. Chris Turner finished strong last year after replacing Jordan Steffy. Those two will be in the mix again, as will Josh Portis, who may be the most talented. Whichever player nails down the job, they'll have great receivers, starting with Darrius Heyward-Bey, as targets.
There's talent, if not experience, at running back, but the backs will benefit from what could be a great offensive line. The offense will have to carry the defense early, but if some of the younger players come around on defense, the unit could be good enough to keep the Terps in games. I don't think Maryland will sneak past Wake and Clemson, but an eight-win season is not out of the question."

"Chris Turner got his chance last year when Jordan Steffy was injured. Turner led Maryland to a couple of big wins, including one over Boston College, and is the likely starter come Aug. 30. But look for Turner to have a short leash. Steffy will likely get a chance if Turner falters. I really like Florida transfer Josh Portis, who missed last season at Maryland after some academic issues, but I don't believe he'll get a chance unless things go south in a hurry for the Terps. "

To read the entire interview go to http://bleacherreport.com/articles/31649-ACC-Football-Complete-Breakdown-With-Patrick-Hite-220608


Where do you think the Terps will go this season?

-STEAK

Vasquez out for 2 months

The Washington Post is reporting that Terps Junior guard Grievis Vasquez will be out of action for about 2 months due to left ankle surgery. This should not significant impact the upcoming season, but it is noteworthy to report. Vasquez had a bone spur and excess cartilage removed.

"Vasquez had apparently been bothered by some ankle pain for a while and just got something done to take care of it well before the season started. If he recovers on time, he'll be playing again a week or two before fall classes start in College Park.
And if not? Well, Maryland would probably not like to think about what it will do without the Venezuelan, who is quite clearly the best player on the Terrapins' roster for next season. With virtually nothing proven on the inside, Vasquez will be absolutely critical to any hopes Maryland has for a decent year."

- The Washington Post

A memorable U.S. Open.... right?

So i have just finished watching the U.S. Open on a relaxing Sunday night. And what more could you ask for when watching golf on a warm summers night? You have Rocco Mediate, having to qualify for the Open over the last couple of weeks, 46 years old, plays the best four rounds of golf of his entire life, and finishes one under and in position to win the U.S. Open (at this point you don't even need to play the oldest player to win the Open or oldest player to win his first major card.) But then there was Tiger, one shot behind the clubhouse and overall leader going into the 72nd hole at a major tournament. In one of the most dramatic finishes in recent major history, Tiger hits it in the rough, lays up, and goes up and down to tie Mediate. It was golf at its greatest. The feel good story of the long shot on the verge of his first career major championship being stopped by arguably the most prolific golfer of all time to force a playoff. The PGA tour couldn't have asked for anything more. On Fathers Day, when everyone is home spending time with their families, relaxing in the family room, the PGA has a playoff between the most recognizable figure in sports and the player who has no right being there with him. Personally, I felt as if I was watching game 7 of the World Series and going to extra innings. The PGA was in a win-win situation no matter who came out on top. But in a single sentence it was gone. The excitement, the energy, the feeling you were watching history... all gone.

"Tomorrow these two players will meet for an 18 hole playoff..."





Please, someone tell me this isn't true. Someone must have made a mistake. How could NBC and the PGA postpone this event for an episode of SNL no one will watch. It was so easy, just bring Rocco and Tiger out to the first tee box and have a playoff. You have every father in America watching this major and their families gathered around to spend time with them on Father's Day. You have the feel good story and the best golfer in the world tied after 72 holes. It was a gift delivered to the PGA. They would have the most talked about sporting event of the weekend, even while the Euro Cup, NBA Finals, and inter-league play were going on. But in the same fashion that Bud Selig ended the 2002 all-star game, the PGA postpones the playoff until Monday. And to make it worse, it will start at 12 P.M. eastern time. Unfortunately for the PGA (and more so for the fans) the world can't take off tomorrow. The playoff will go viewed by a select few that will be lucky enough to call out sick, or take a four and a half hour lunch. I for one will be at work, sitting at my desk, feeling like I turned off a movie in the last 10 minutes and will read about the ending later the next day. Disappointment, disbelief, unfulfilled... not the adjectives you would expect to describe how you feel when Tiger sinks a put to force a playoff. But thats how America was left feeling on this Father's Day. A great event, postponed to the middle of a Monday, left to read about history rather than watching it.

-Crab

Terps Football Faces Three Tough Opponents to Start the Season

The Maryland Terrapin football schedule has been recently updated with game times for the first three games of the year. Usually in college football, big programs like to schedule “tune up” games in order to set the tone for the rest of the year. Sometimes this can backfire as we have seen from last year’s amazing upset by Appalachian State over perennial Big Ten powerhouse Michigan.

The first three games of the year as always for the Terps are against non-conference opponents who include the Delaware Blue Hens, the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, and the Golden Bears of California. Now I don’t know about the rest of you but I am pretty happy about this opening three game slate that we have. Fortunately for Maryland we will not be playing against the 6’6’’ behemoth Joe Flacco from Delaware because he entered into the 2008 NFL draft and was taken by the Baltimore Ravens (I still question the pick because I think Troy Smith is their guy). We will also avoid having to contain their monster running back Omar Cuff (398 carries for 1945 yds last season) who has graduated and is currently trying to make an NFL roster.

This game will be pretty exciting because of the close proximity of the two schools and the fact that we have not faced off since 1948. In the all time series, Delaware owns a 5-3-1 record against the Terps, but Maryland has won the last three times. Hopefully the game and the atmosphere will allow both schools to continue to compete against each other. Delaware is a good team that went 11-4 last season and lost in the FCS Championship Game to Appalachian State.

In the second game of the year the Terrapins will face off against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders whose last game against Maryland was in 2006. The Terps defeated the Blue Raiders 24-10 in that game by scoring 17 first half point and adding an insurance TD in the second half. Two key drops by Blue Raider receivers that would have been touchdowns helped propel Maryland to a victory even though Middle Tennessee outgained the Terps in total yards. This is a team that always plays Maryland hard and would love to come away with an upset in College Park.

The last of the opening three games will be at home played against the Golden Bears of California in the first meeting ever between both teams. Cal had a 7-6 record last year despite starting the season ranked in the top #25 and even being ranked as high as 2 behind the eventual National Champions LSU. The Bears have lost key players to their team who include All-American and Heisman hopeful wide receiver DeSean Jackson who has been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. They have also lost wide receiver LaVelle Hawkins who was a great number 2 receiver to Jackson and running back Justin Forsett who led the Pac-10 in rushing td’s last year. They do however still retain their gun-slinging QB Nate Longshore who threw for over 2500 yds and 16 Td’s last season. It remains to be seen how well he can produce after losing three offensive studs in Jackson, Hawkins, and Forsett.

This will be an exciting game for both Cal and Maryland who coming off of last year’s seasons, are two teams with a lot to prove. Both teams had talent and showed flashes of greatness but did not capitalize on it for a number of reasons i.e. injuries and inexperience. From last year, Maryland looks to be the stronger team with more of its core players still here. Cal has lost its offensive spark and will need to find a player to step their game up in the way DeSean Jackson did last year.

These first three games look to be exciting tests for the Maryland Terrapins and should be a good indicator of where this team may be in November. My hope is that the Delaware and Middle Tennessee State games will provide us with enough of a lead to put in backups and hopefully give them some valuable game time experience. The better prepared everyone on this team is, the better our outlook for the 2008 season will be.

Gus Gilchrist's next stop?

Word from the Baltimore Sun is that Gus Gilchrist has chosen to take his tour on the road to South Florida in the Big East.

Apparently after being released by his Maryland scholarship, he narrowed his choices down to South Florida, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Interesting choice by Gilchrist...

Perhaps, he is looking to just play one year and carry the team and then maybe head towards the draft? It will be interesting to see what he brings to the college hoops game.

Sidenote: The Terps are looking at 6'8'' forward Lataye Darden from Progressive Christian Academy as a player to fill one of the open roster spots on the team.

Gus Gilchrist Granted Release

More offseason bad news for the Maryland Men's basketball team, incoming freshmen forward Augustus Gilchrist had requested his release and was apparently granted it.

This news comes after another recruit, Tyree Evans received his release from scholarship from the Terps. Gilchrist is a 6'9'' 235 pound forward who was expected to play a big role for the hoops team next year. Gilchrist practiced with the team during the Spring semester of last season and was expected to sit out the Fall semester of the upcoming season due to his transfer from Virginia Tech.

However, apparently Gilchrist could not wait that long and decided to once again transfer. The release of Gilchrist Evans, and Walker leaves the Terps with only 9 scholarship players and a potential 10th. The 10th being shooting guard Shane Mosely who has not officially signed because he is waiting for acceptance by the admissions office.

Sidenote: The Terps were also expected to land point guard Bobby Maze, however he could not get his grades in line for acceptance.


--- What do you think the Terps should do in terms of recruiting? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Shane Walker's Transfer Complete

Some Terp news to pass along as well. According to The Baltimore Sun, Ex-Terp 6'10'' Center/Forward Shane Walker has chosen his new team to play for after asking for his release from Coach Gary Williams in April. Shane Walker has transferred to Loyola (MD) College.

Last season for the Terps Walker averaged about 5 minutes a game and played in 24 of the team's games and averaged a rebound a game and 0.5 ppg. Shane scored a career high 4 points at Virginia Tech on January 12.

-It appears this move will give Walker a significant increase in playing time and some guaranteed opportunities to expand his game. Hopefully Walker will make the best of the opportunity and turn some heads there.

A thank you to our pal Joe who crafted us this top-of-the-line banner for our page. Joe has his own blog, which can be found at http://www.certain-songs.blogspot.com/.

Early Terp Football Games

According to www.umterps.com, the early Terrapin Football Game Times have been announced:

08-30-08 vs. Delaware --> 3:45 PM (this game will be televised on ESPNU)

09-06-08 @ Middle Tennessee State --> 7:00 PM (this game will be televised on Comcast)

09-13-08 vs. California --> 12:00 PM (this game will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2)

Also, the 11-06-08 Thursday night game AT Virginia Tech will be played at 7:30 PM on ESPN Nationally)

Draft Watch: James Gist

JAMES GIST - 15


Ex-Maryland Terrapin Forward James Gist is eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft later this month.



Gist lists as 6'8" and 223 lbs and at 21 years of age. He should be drafted as an athletic power forward who could also line up as a small forward in the NBA. As a senior, Gist averaged 15.9 points a game, 7.9 rebounds a game, and 2.3 blocks a game in 33 games of action.

According to http://www.draftexpress.com/, Gist is ranked as the 9th best senior and 12th best power forward. In their mock draft, James would be selected at 56 overall by the Seattle Sonics. According to nbadraft.net, Gist would be drafted at 41 overall by the Indiana Pacers. According to Chad Ford and http://www.espn.com/, Gist is ranked as the 68th best player in the draft as of now, pending underclassmen in the draft.

James Gist's strengths (according to nbadraft.net):

Potential is outstanding, especially in faster paced NBA ... Athletically, he can compete with anyone ... Dunks with authority often ... Runs the fast break very well for a power forward... Great length ... Good touch around the basket ... Has the potential to be a lock down defender ... Very good post defender ... Has strong shot blocking instincts ... Good footwork in the post... Improving jump shot ... Developing ability to play on the perimeter ... Incredible on the open floor ... Can get on a roll and look like a budding star ... Has noticeably improved every year of his collegiate career ... Strong free throw shooter.

James Gist's weaknesses (according to nbadraft.net):

Has a tendency to disappear offensively at times ... Not ready to play full time on the wing, as he would likely be asked to do... Poor rebounder for his size ... Not strong enough to play the four in the NBA, and lacks great height at 6'8" ... Very passive overall, doesn't make his presence felt enough ... Must work on consistency and getting open ... A bit of a tweener, but has the potential make the transition to a wing player.

The Orlando Camp wrapped up last week, and some of the observations of Gist are as follow:

"He looked very active defensively in the passing lanes and did a great job getting out in transition, using his athleticism well around the rim and even knocking down a long-range perimeter jumper. The energy he brought to the floor was exactly what the doctor ordered for his draft stock."

"It was a great experience down there," noted Gist. "There was a lot of top competition at the camp, but I played well and got a lot of good feedback from the coaches. It was a chance to play against other players at the highest level, but I really thought I did a good job and raised my draft stock while I was down there."

Gist's combine results were also announced:

Vertical Jump (no step): 30.5"
Vertical Jump (Max): 35''
Bench Press (185 lbs): 5 reps
Lane Agility: 11.37 seconds
3/4 Court Sprint: 3.14 seconds

According to http://www.foxsports.com/, James Gist was listed as one of the top 10 performers at the Orlando camp and here is a blurb from his performance,

"Gist started off like gangbusters with 16 points in his first game on 5-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the line. Unfortunately, he hit a major cold spell from the field, going a combined 5-for-18 in the final two, averaging just 5.5 in those games. He's a freakish athlete and is the type of specimen that should be able to find a role in the league even if his offensive game never vastly improves (a poor man's Rodman)"

According to http://www.umterps.com/, Gist has scheduled workouts with the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and the Miami Heat.


-Eric

Welcome!

Welcome to The Steak, Crab, & Curry: Blog Edition.

The SCC Show is a sports talk show at the University of Maryland. Our show airs on WMUC Sports and can be heard at www.wmucsports.com.

This past semester we had our show on Mondays from 4 to 6 PM. We discussed all sporting issues from the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL. We also discussed Maryland Sports.

Our guests and interviews included John Buccigross, Stan Kasten, Pat Forde, Gene Wojciechowski, Tim Dierkes, and UMD Baseball Coach Terry Rupp. All of our interviews can be heard on podcast through iTunes, just search The Steak, Crab, and Curry Show.

You can read about the show's hosts on the side of the blog.

All three of us will contribute to this blog, talking about anything in the sporting world that may come about.