Hey everybody! I can tell you I'm still buzzing over the big upset on Saturday, if you couldn't already notice by the way I plastered my articles all over the Internet.
Anyway, it was a good weekend to be a Terp fan, and here are some of the highlights:
- The improbable, glorious upset of then-No. 1 UNC. ESPN is still shaking from the revelation that upsets do happen in college basketball.
- The Lady Terps pulled out a big double-overtime win over a tenacious Georgia Tech bball squad, 99-95 on Sunday. In doing so, the women exacted some revenge on the Yellow Jackets for sweeping them last year. Crystal Langhorne, INRCP's nominee for Best Terp Ever, scored a ridiculous 31 points and notched 15 rebounds. Laura Harper had 24 points and a career-high 20 boards. Maryland's "Big Four" continue to throw down. 
Nationally, they're starting to get the attention they deserve. However, it is troubling to see that the bench managed only 2 points in a double-overtime match. Shouldn't they be getting more time?
- On a related note, both Gist and Langhorne earned ACC player of the week honors.
- Maryland wrestling gets its second shout-out on this site, as they demolish VaTech in their latest dual, 33-8. They're currently ranked No. 21 and rising. Three wrestlers on the squad are ranked nationally in their weight classes.
There was a mixed pot of good news and bad news on the Terp recruiting front, however.
FOOTBALL: Maryland was bolstered by the verbal commitment of QB prospect Tyler Bass, but hurt by the unexpected, but not altogether unsurprising de-commit of LB recruit and local standout Zach Brown. Thus ends a chapter of craziness in Terp football recruiting - news came out long ago that Brown was a commitment, but later, there was some contention to whether he actually committed at all. He later "officially" gave a verbal, but now he's backed out to got to UNC. Well, you can't beat them in EVERY sport. If we had lost the basketball game, this news would've made me very upset.
BASKETBALL: A lot of you have been looking for stuff on Bobby Maze, the ju-co transfer who'll arrive next year. His game has been compared to Allen Iverson's (obviously not at such a high level) and he's a standout scorer. Here's an Inside the Shell excerpt about him. He's doing very well on his current team, and should be able to crack rotation next year.
Sean Mosley, since the last time we talked about him, has continued his push for All-America status. In a recent win over Towson Catholic, Mosley had game-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds, plus he made the clinching free throws. Even in St. Frances' losses, Mosley never lets down: He scored 25 in a loss to City. Here's what the opposing coach had to say to The Baltimore Sun:
Our philosophy was there's no way in the world we can stop Sean Mosley, he's a great player, so what we have to do is ... concentrate on the other players, and I thought we did a good job of doing it.
Jin Soo Kim, despite the fact that he's not coming for another year, continues to receive a lot of interest. I'm a little worried because the game summaries aren't very detailed and Kim hasn't shown up a ton recently. But reportedly he played well against then-No. 6 Notre Dame Prep and ended up with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks (he was overshadowed by another teammate dropping 43 points). He also contributed 16 points in another win against Edison Academy. I wish I had some video of him to see what type of role he plays on his team, but all of these games are very misty.
On a side note: Recruiting Report has lately been running a feature of brief interviews to help Terp fans get to know their football prospects. It's really a good way to get a sneak peak at these guys, and I encourage everyone to follow this series.
Well, overall a good week to be a Terp! Let's see how the ladies fare against No. 3 UNC again in Chapel Hill, and how the men compete with No. 3 Dook on Friday. Good luck!
Go Terps!
Photo Credits: Baltimore Sun, Inside the Shell
Special Thanks to Recruiting Report for lots of links
Monday, January 21, 2008
Good Weekend for Maryland
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I got a chance to see Jin Soo Kim at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, MA before I head back to CP this weekend for the Duke game (I got a ticket, scanners and leavers be damned).
Jin's performance was not exactly awe-inspiring, but it was not discouraging either.
On offense Jin demonstrated the ability to knock down open looks from outside, but he spent little time with the ball in his hands and looked generally passive, floating around the three point line. His play affirmed DraftExpress.com's point that while he needs to improve his ability to create his own shot, he is able to out hustle opponents on the offensive glass for some easy put-backs.
Jin's play was more encouraging on the defensive side of the ball where he seems like an ideal fit for Maryland's hectic, pressing style. Although his frame is too slight for ACC play at the moment, he is quite long and appears to be a plus athlete. He buzzed around the court and looked very comfortable executing South Kent's zone press. Jin did a good job defending Hargrave Military Academy (#1 nationally), staying in front of his man on the perimeter and holding his own in the paint.
Jin did not really stand out in this contest, but in his defense he plays with 4 kids who are signed to D1 schools. His teammates, such as Isaiah Thomas (Washington) who put up 18 points, spent much of the game looking for their own shot. It would have been nice to see him demanding the ball a little more, however. Hopefully this high level of competition will help ease the transition to college hoops. Also, let us not forget he is only a junior right now, plenty of time for him to find his beastmode over the next year and a half. Furthermore, Gary was in attendance (apparently he does recruit!) so nerves could have effected Jin's performance.
I don't know if any of this is fresh or insightful and I'm certainly no Chad Ford, but at least you know that Jin is still alive and well.
As always, go terps!
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