Jin Soo Kim... Not so Fast my Friend

According to the Washington Post, the first attempt to academically qualify Jin Soo Kim for this upcoming season has been denied. Kim who was injured and is a 6'7'' small forward from Connecticut has until Thursday to submit further documentation to try and reverse the decision. We will keep you posted here at the SCC Show.

Gary Sick of hearing of GUS

Just a quick note to pass along, in a recent article in the Post, Gary Williams was talking about the new freshmen Steve Goins who was cleared to play early in the week. Steve Yanda was reporting on the the story and asked about Gus Gilchrist.

When asked whether Gilchrist's departure had anything to do with Goins' decision
to come to Maryland, Williams replied thusly: "This has nothing to do with Gus
Gilchrist. I'm tired of hearing about Gus Gilchrist. He was never here. Steve
Goins came here because he wanted to play basketball at the University of
Maryland."

It seems that Gary is a little sensitive about the whole Gus Gilchrist situation. A situation that I am still unclear of what exactly took place.

Steve Goins officially Joins Terps!

Steve Goins, the 6'10'' Chicago native have officially been cleared to join the Maryland Men's basketball team for the upcoming season, as reported by the Diamondback.

Goins will be the 12th player under scholarship for the Terps, leaving one spot open for the upcoming season. It has been rumored that Korean player Jin Soo Kim will be that player once he is also cleared for eligibility by the NCAA.

Steve Goins averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds in his final high school season. Goins will be listed as the tallest player on the Terp's roster and will have to help bolster a depleted frontcourt. Braxton Dupree and Jerome Burney figure to get the majority of the minutes.

Goins is thought to be a raw talent as of right now, but the Terps will definitely need some minutes from the big guy.

It will be interesting to see how the Terps starting lineup shakes out as of now. If they want to go small, I could see the lineup looking like this:

C Braxton Dupree

F Lance Milbourne

F Cliff Tucker

G Greivis Vasquez

G Eric Hayes

Or if they want to go bigger:

C Braxton Dupree

F Jerome Burney

F Landon Milbourne

G Greivis Vasquez

G Eric Hayes.

Stay tuned for more Men's Hoops news!

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And as always tune into THE STEAK, CRAB, & CURRY SHOW tonight from 7-9 PM EST LIVE on www.wmucsports.com. 980 ESPN's Kevin Sheehan will be on the show, as well as Foxsports.com's Dayn Perry. We can be reached at steakcrabcurry@gmail.com

Hoops Schedule Released!

The 2008-2009 University of Maryland Men's Hoops Team schedule has been released according to the Baltimore Sun and the Terps website.

Some of the highlights include:

- Home opener vs Bucknell on November 14th

- 11/27-11/30 The Old Spice Classic in Orlando, FL -- Opening round game against Michigan State

- 12/07 vs. George Washington at the Verizon Center in the BB&T Classic

- 01/10 ACC Opener Vs. Georgia Tech at Home

- 01/24 @ Duke, 02/25 VS Duke

- 02/03 @ UNC, 02/21 VS UNC

You can check out the entire schedule here.

James Gist to Italy??

In a brief note, www.rotoworld.com reported that an Italian website had wrote that Spurs 2nd round pick James Gist was going to be signed by a professional Italian team. However, the website was written in Italian and tough to translate.

The San Antonio-Express News denied that report, and said that Gist had not signed overseas. If Gist did sign though, the Spurs would be able to retain his rights for when and if he did come back to the U.S.A.

Stay Tuned as we will try to keep you posted on Gist's hoops career.

The Debate rages On

Rivals.com recently took a look at the ever-growing debate of where Gary Williams stands in relation to his job status. Two different writers for the site took opposing sides and offered their best arguments for each case.

Coach Williams is responsible for the only Men's National Championship in school history and was able to reach back to back Final Four's, something coach Lefty Driesell was never able to accomplish.

Here were the stated arguments:

Writer Andrew Skwara puts GARY WILLIAMS ON THE HOT SEAT:

"Last season sealed it for me. Maryland didn't just disappoint. The Terrapins underachieved – woefully. This should have been the team with which Williams beat back the critics. He had one of the nation's best playmakers at point guard (Greivis Vasquez) and another guard (Eric Hayes) who could also dish the rock. Vasquez ranked first in the ACC in assists and Hayes was sixth. There was also depth and experience on the inside. Senior big men James Gist and Bambale Osby ranked second and third in the league in blocks and fourth and 11th in rebounding.
The potential was there. The Terps knocked off then-No. 1 North Carolina in the Dean Dome.
However, that same team lost to Ohio and American at home. Maryland went 1-6 against the top five teams in the ACC. The Terps lost six of their last eight games, including four by double digits. The bulk of the blame has to go to Williams. He's not getting the most out of his players, not even close. That becomes a bigger problem when you're not a great recruiter, something Williams has never resembled. Williams has a great résumé and it's tough to look past that national title, but I think someone else can do better. Maryland, with the fertile D.C. recruiting area nearby, has a big fan base and one of the nicer arenas on the East Coast. If Williams doesn't get it done this season, I say give someone else a chance. "

Editor Bob McClellan says GARY WILLIAMS IS NOT ON THE HOT SEAT

"I can't argue that Williams' recent teams have underachieved, particularly last season.
But I come at this from a different perspective. My alma mater is Northwestern, a school that has never been to the NCAA Tournament. As in never, zip, bupkus. So when you talk about getting rid of a guy who has brought your school its only national title, not to mention another Final Four appearance and a bunch of NCAA bids in a row, it's kind of hard for me to fathom.
No, Maryland isn't on a par with Northwestern. But in a league with North Carolina and Duke, Williams got the Terps to the Holy Grail. The Left-hander couldn't even do that, but Williams did. I'm not saying you can live off a national title forever, but you ought to be able to come pretty close. He still gets players a lot of other schools would like to have. I'm somewhat alarmed that he isn't getting more out of them, but who's to say he can't find a way to light the fire this season or next? Williams hasn't forgotten how to coach. It's not like he has been losing lately, it's just that he hasn't been winning enough. His teams have won at least 19 games for the past 14 consecutive seasons. A couple of the recent NIT teams were "just-missed" NCAA Tournament teams. Maryland would be foolish to jettison Williams. Until he fields a losing team, he ought to be considered plenty safe."

You can read the full article on Rivals.com here.

Where do you feel the Gary Williams debate is at?! Please do comment.

UMD: Best Athletic Facilities!

The Princeton Review conducted a study in which it polled 120,000 students at 368 different colleges about different school's academics, campus life, sports, etc.

The survey was 80 questions long and the results were published in the annual Princeton Review Guide.

Based on the results, the University of Maryland was voted as the top athletic facilities in the nation beating out Texas A&M, Florida, and Tenneesse! Maryland also ranked highly in college newspaper and how well the students pack the stadiums!

UMD Hoops Get Good News !!

The Terps Hoops Team finally got some good news this offseason! According to Foxsports.com and Jeff Goodman, Recruit Sean Mosley received a qualifying SAT score and will be eligible for the upcoming season for the Terps.

Mosley will join Vasquez and Eric Hayes as a potent three guard rotation that could give other ACC teams problems this season. However, the Terps are still looking for some big man help.

Old Spice Classic

When word came out that the Maryland Terps and the Georgetown Hoyas would be in the same hoops tournament this upcoming Thanksgiving, every basketball fan in the DC Metro area was hoping that the teams would square off.

Well word came out about 10 minutes ago, and Georgetown and Maryland will be on the opposite sides of the bracket. G'town will square off against Wichita State, and the Terps will face Michigan State in the opening round. The only way these two teams will be able to square off will be in the Finals, an unlikely situation.

It's a damn shame these two teams don't meet annually in a cross-town rivalry type deal. It would be a huge success and could be played at the Verizon Center.

Who else would love to see the teams play every year?

DJ Strawberry at the Point!

2nd Year NBA guard and former Maryland Terrapin DJ Strawberry has been playing hoops in the summer league for the Phoenix Suns' squad. According to http://www.rotoworld.com/, DJ has been averaging 18 points a game and 3 assists a contest for the team. Showing that he is capable of scoring the ball while also distributing.

GM Steve Kerr was quoted as saying that DJ has been running the point in the league but he sees him more as a combo-guard with his height. Eventually the Suns would like to see Strawberry try and spell Steve Nash for a few minutes at a time through out the season at the point.

Blake & Hayes

Remember those instant comparisons of Eric Hayes to Steve Blake as soon as Hayes was recruited by Gary Williams to play at Maryland?

Well according to a report at www.insidenova.com, Hayes will be spending 10 days in Portland to practice and be tutored by Steve Blake on running the point and running the Maryland offense.

"So when looking for someone to teach him more about running Maryland's offense,
playing the point or even preparing for the NBA, it made perfect sense for the
Potomac High School graduate to enlist the services of Steve Blake. "He's got
the same type of game I have," said Hayes, who leaves Tuesday to spend 10 days
working out with Blake in Portland, where Blake plays for the NBA's Trail
Blazers. "He brings the same athleticism to his game like the way I play. He
made it to the NBA with what he had. I can try and pick up some pointers and
possibly do it myself."

Hopefully this practice session between Maryland past and future results in Hayes improving his distribution skill set and also his leadership skills as him and Vasquez will be relied on heavily to lead the team this season as the veterans. You can read the entire article here.

Gist in Summer Camp

Maryland student newspaper The Diamondback has the scoop on James Gist heading to rookie summer league camp for the Spurs in Vegas. Just don't make it rain to hard Mr. Gist.

"Gist is currently working out in Reno, Nev. On July 9, he'll report to San
Antonio and join the rest of the Spurs' rookies and young players in
preparation
for the NBA's Las Vegas Rookie Summer League.The Silver Spring
native and
2007-08 Second Team All-ACC performer was drafted by the Spurs in
the second
round with the 57th overall pick.Contracts are not guaranteed for
players taken in the second round, and earning a roster spot on an established
Western Conference power like San Antonio may prove to be challenging.NBA teams
are limited to 15 players on a roster, only 12 of which can be active. The Spurs
have 9 players under contract with another, first-round draft selection George
Hill, on the way."

Check out http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2008/07/03/Sports/Gist-Heads.To.Nba.Rookie.League-3387636.shtml for more on the story.

A Very Important Year for Gary!

Dana O'Neil of espn.com recently wrote an article that documents the decline of the hoops program of UMD since the 2002 title run and how Gary Williams may be feeling the seat beneath start to heat up.

Here are some highlights from the article...

"Williams, once lauded for resurrecting Maryland from the depths of NCAA probation, now enters his 20th season dogged by questions about himself, his program and his status with the university administration.
"Is this a big year? Absolutely," said Kent Greenway, coach of the Richmond Squires AAU team, a power in the D.C.-Baltimore-Virginia hub. "People are questioning how good of a coach Gary is, how good of a job the team is doing recruiting and whether the AD wants [Williams] out. This is a very, very important year."
Yet, in a season with conceivably so much on the line, Maryland starts with only 10 scholarship players. Shane Walker transferred, would-be recruit Tyree Evans never got past the administrative smell test and heralded rookie-to-be Gus Gilchrist elected to transfer to South Florida, where he hopes an appeal will restore a year of eligibility. "

Dana also takes a look at some of the local talent that has slipped through Gary's grasp.

" In the past two years, the Maryland area has produced three top-five NBA
draft picks -- Texas' Kevin
Durant went second and Georgetown's Jeff Green
fifth in 2007, and Kansas State's Michael
Beasley went No. 2 just this past Thursday. Mix in Carmelo
Anthony in 2003, and you get an idea of just how deep the talent pool is
around College Park.
"There's no reason they're not getting some of these
guys," said Curtis Malone, co-founder of the powerful D.C. Assault AAU team.
"It's a great campus, a great facility, great conference. Gary is a good coach.
There's so much talent in the Baltimore-D.C. area, they should be getting more
kids to stay home. I can't put my finger on it."

Here is the link of the article. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3469331

It is a great read and with Shane Mosley as the only incoming freshman as of now, it makes me a little worried about the prospects of the upcoming Terp season.

Hoops Team set to add a BIG!

In a tumultous offseason that included the losses of James Gist, Boom Osby, Jason McAlpin, Gus Gilchrist, Shane Walker, Bobby Maze, and Tyree Evens, the Terps may be getting some good news soon.

A Chicago native Steve Goins (forward/center, 6'9", 260 pounds) appears to be on his way to College Park for the upcoming season according to Jeff Ermann of turtlesportsreport.com (http://maryland.scout.com/2/766140.html).

According to scouthoops.com, Goins is the 27th ranked center in the nation. Goins averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks last year at Currie Metropolitan High (Ill.), on a team that had balanced scoring. Goins was also offered scholarships by South Florida (GUS GILCHRIST!) and Illinois-Chicago. He was also recruited by Kentucky, DePaul, and Minnesota.

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

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