By Gregg Cobert, on January 16th, 2012  Last night, the Terps struggled shooting in the first half as did the Yellow Jackets. However, the Terps (12-4, 2-1) led by Terrell Stoglin went on an early run in the second half to go up 10 points. The Jackets (8-9, 1-2) did make runs to try and close the gap but were never able to take the lead again as the Terps won 61-50. The Terps were able to get key baskets from Sean Mosley down the stretch and James Padgett’s offensive rebounding were keys. The Terps again needed to hold their home court and pick up a victory over a weaker team and they did. Let’s get to the report card.
Pe’Shon Howard B-
Pe’Shon looked for his offense last night and was successful finding it. He was more aggressive taking shots and made a three point shot in the first half. Mark Turgeon was wanting Pe’Shon to average 10 points a game and be more aggressive looking for his offense. He did a very good job with that but now he just needs to convert a higher percentage and hold onto the ball as he had five turnovers and only 1 assist. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 12th, 2012 In the preview of the game, Maryland needed to hold serve at home and pick up a victory over a lesser Wake Forest team. Maryland (11-4, 1-1) played a very strong first half against the Demon Deacons (10-5, 1-1) and held on to win 70-64. In the first half, the Terps had runs of 12-2 and 14-4 to grab the halftime lead at 40-24. It was a strong team effort that fueled the lead and in the second half despite their putrid shooting, the Terps held on. Let’s get to the report card:
Pe’Shon Howard B
Howard struggled from the field shooting going 0-5 but he found other ways to contribute as he dished out 3 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds and had 2 steals.
Nick Faust B-
Faust got the start over Stoglin and gave the team 6 points and 6 boards in 13 minutes. I felt the 6 boards were the crucial part of the stat line as he was able to be aggressive with his time on the court. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 8th, 2012 Sunday night the Terps played against the Wolfpack in Raleigh. The Terps had won nine straight games over State and the last time the Wolfpack won was February 7, 2006. However, the Terps were unable to secure the victory falling 79-74 after a monster game from CJ Leslie with 20 points, 11 boards and 2 steals. Let’s get to the Terps report card:
Pe’Shon Howard: B
Although Howard is still getting his legs under him following the broken leg, he had a really good game directing the team and getting the team quality shots. In the first half on back to back possessions, he was able to set up both Nick Faust and Mychal Parker for threes. He significantly improves the team’s ball movement. However, there were a few opportunities where he drove the lane and had a quality shot and passed it up. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 4th, 2012 The Terps completed the first half of their schedule and are 10-3 and ride a 7 game winning streak into conference play. Maryland has looked shaky the first two months of the season to say the least as they seem to struggle against lesser competition like Cornell or Radford or Florida Gulf Coast. They have also gotten some beat downs at the hands of Alabama and Iona who are legitimate NCAA teams. For all the lackluster play following the Illinois loss in early December, they were able to win each game and get the seven straight wins with the best win being Notre Dame. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on December 22nd, 2011  Happy Holidays to all the BSR staff and readers and thank you for everything over the last year. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching the NBA games that come on the slate for the day and this year we get five games. For me, it was an early Christmas present to hear the NBA was coming back from the lockout even if it was in a shortened season. So let’s rank the 5 games in terms of watchability and possible drama.
5) Oklahoma City @ Orlando 8 PM
When my favorite player and back to back scoring champion, Kevin Durant, and the Thunder are in the fifth game, you have a rock solid lineup. The Thunder will have to deal with expectations this year as they are the front runner to win the West and compete for the championship. It will be interesting how the duo of Russell Westbrook and Durant evolves as the media tries to create tension between the two. On the other side of the coin, there is the Magic. Dwight Howard and his constant will he or won’t he mentality in terms of staying with the Magic long term drama will be a distraction this year. How much is yet to be determined? If Howard is no worse than the second best player in the league, the Magic will do well. If not, there is not much there to carry the team. The Thunder have bodies to throw at Howard with Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammad so with that, the Thunder will get a valuable road win as James Harden emerges as the X factor for the Thunder.
4) Los Angeles Clippers @ Golden State 10:30 PM
Lob City will be a must see attraction with the best point guard in the league, Chris Paul, joining the Clippers and teaming with Blake Griffin. With Griffin’s high flying ability and CP3′s passing, it truly will be Lob City. As for the Warriors, they introduce a new coach in Mark Jackson and hope to continue the electric offense with Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and company but add some defense as well. I think the new look Clippers will emerge victorious over their Pacific division foe as their team will be too much for Golden State. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on December 8th, 2011 So it has been a three week sabbatical from writing with BSR and it has been a crazy three weeks in sports to say the least. The last time I wrote something the NBA was nowhere close to signing an agreement so basketball could start, Tim Tebow was in his infancy and the hype train hadn’t run out of control, the Florida Marlins had changed their name to Miami but they still were the lowest payroll team in MLB and the idea of signing Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle, and to put up over $200 million to sign Albert Pujols seemed like a pipe dream. Other events that have happened include the Harbowl, Sads and I watching the Terps look good in the first half of the ACC Big Ten Challenge but then get steamrolled in the second half, and of course the announcement of the bowls in college football. So a lot has happened, but let’s focus on the last thing, the bowl season for college football.
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By Gregg Cobert, on November 17th, 2011 The New Jersey Nets home is set to open next year in Brooklyn, New York called the Barclays Cener. So why is that important to the Terps? Well, they and the Kentucky Wildcats will be the first college teams to play in the Barclays Center in the Barclays Classic. The game is set for November 9, 2012 as part of a doubleheader. The other game is Long Island and Morehead State. It should provide the Terps an early measuring stick next year on how good they are as the Wildcats are year in and year out a top 10 team under Coach John Calipari.
By Gregg Cobert, on November 17th, 2011 The Terps are participating in the 5th annual Puerto RIco Tipoff on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; they open the tournament at 5:30 Thursday against number 15 Alabama. Alabama is the only ranked team in the tournament but the field is loaded with quality teams like Temple, Purdue, and Wichita State who all received votes in the others receiving votes in the most recent USA Today poll. Colorado had a very good season last year finishing with 24 wins. Iona is always a tough mid major from the MAAC and always seem to be a tough out when they got to the tournament (just ask Wake Forest). Depending on the Terps result, they will play the winner or loser of the Wichita State-Colorado game.
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By Gregg Cobert, on November 10th, 2011 Yesterday began the National Signing Day for basketball players and Mark Turgeon converted his verbal commitments to written letters of intent for Shaquille Cleare, Jake Layman, and Seth Allen. With the signings, it lands Maryland with the 17th best class according to ESPN. All three players were targeted by Turgeon while he was at Texas A&M. The Terps hope to sign one or two more players specifically a power forward and a guard, but Turgeon is “thrilled to death” with the current haul. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on November 9th, 2011 Alex Len, the 7 foot 1 center, for the Terps will be suspended for the first 10 games of the season after the NCAA ruled that Len violated the amateur rules. He played overseas for college and the Terps will not push the ruling since there was a chance he could have been ruled ineligible all together for the whole season. Len is able to participate in practices and exhibitions for the team. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on November 9th, 2011 With no end in sight in terms of the NBA lockout, the players have been playing in exhibition games to keep in shape and stay sharp. Greivis Vasquez, the former Terps star, participated in an exhibition in Baltimore against the St. Frances team. He teamed with Kemba Walker of the Bobcats and Brandon Jennings of the Bucks; they beat the St. Frances team 88-85. The three pros are working with Under Armour on the “Are You From Here Tour” and will have two games in New York on today and Friday. The St. Frances team is expected to compete for the Baltimore Catholic League title. At this point, the exhibitions are all hoops fans can hope for as the lockout lingers and extends into December.
By Gregg Cobert, on October 27th, 2011  One of the strengths of the Terps hoops team coming into the season was going to be their backcourt with Pe’Shon Howard teaming with Terrell Stoglin. However, during practice Howard broke his left foot which will keep him out 10-12 weeks. It is a serious blow to the team during this transitional year in College Park for the Terps. Coach Turgeon said, “I feel bad for Pe’Shon. He worked so hard and had a great summer and early fall. He’s been practicing and playing well for us. Hopefully, we’ll get a lot better by the time Pe’Shon joins the team later this year.”
Although it is a bad break, it does open the door for opportunity for someone to step up. The Terps still have Sean Mosley and Stoglin with experience, but with the injury, it will give Baltimore native Nick Faust an opportunity to shine. Stoglin and Faust teaming up in the backcourt will make for some electric offensive firepower which is exciting. However, if that is the backcourt, Stoglin would play the point and he is more of a score first guard compared to Howard. This could bog down the offense flow of the team as a whole. It could have the complete 180 effect as well as it may improve Stoglin even more and allow him the opportunity to show off his distributing skills. Another solution could be to give some of the other freshmen on the team some run to see if the offensive flow of the team improves.
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By Gregg Cobert, on October 26th, 2011 Even though the NBA can’t seem to get their act together, the college hoops season is coming full steam and promises to be one of the better ones in recent memories. Practices are in full swing as the season prepares to tip off and the Terps are no different. So, on Saturday October 29, the Terps will host an open practice and scrimmage from noon until 1 prior to the 3 PM football game with Boston College the same day. It will give fans a chance to again see the 2011-2012 Terps up close and personal and see some of the progress since the Maryland Madness from about a week ago. Basketball lots will not be open but fans can park in their usual football parking lots. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on October 20th, 2011 As you may or may not know, I am a huge basketball fan but especially the NBA. It has frustrated me to no end to have the season not open on time for the second time in the last twelve years. Both sides have valid points but both sides are equally to blame for the mess that they have created with the NBA. They just had one of the best five NBA seasons of all time and they are just willing to throw it all away. Owners do not need to be signing the Travis Outlaws of the world to five year 35 million dollar contracts. Players do not need to check out once they get the big pay day like Eddy Curry or a host of other mid to lower level players. Equal blame can be assessed to both sides but people and fans move on when it is not out in front. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on October 12th, 2011  Recently, I was watching the 30 for 30 documentary Catching Hell which talks about Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS or as so many people know it, “The Bartman Game.”
Let’s zoom to the top of the eighth inning. Mark Prior has looked electric allowing only three hits through the first seven innings. The Cubs retired the first guy on a fly ball. The Cubs are 5 outs from hosting the World Series for the first time since 1945. Juan Pierre doubled and then a routine foul ball to the stands was hit by Luis Castillo on the 8th pitch of the at bat. You notice a bunch of hands reaching for the ball including Moises Alou. It touches one fan’s hands and changes his life forever. Alou exacerbates the problem by throwing a temper tantrum on the field because he felt he could have gotten the ball and pointing to Steve Bartman. Following the game, Alou said he probably could not have gotten the ball but has since retracted the statement in the years that have passed. READ MORE >>>
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