A fresh start for the Terrapins

By Steve Yanda

The Washington Post

November 14, 2009

Before the Maryland men's basketball team hosted Charleston Southern at Comcast Center on Friday night, Coach Gary Williams informed Jordan Williams that he was about to become the first freshman forward to start a season opener at Maryland since Joe Smith in 1993.

The younger Williams's response: 'Who's Joe Smith?'

Yes, just as it seemed to Gary Williams that ages have passed since Smith and Keith Booth provided the Terrapins with a formidable front court as freshmen, it seemed to many of those who witnessed Maryland's 89-51 win as though last season -- when the Terrapins lacked size and an imposing presence in the post -- was forever ago.

Jordan Williams, who started in place of suspended junior Dino Gregory, and fellow freshman big man James Padgett performed admirably in their first collegiate game, drawing positive reviews from teammates and coaches alike.

'I think last year we got away with not being able to score inside,' Gary Williams said. 'But we have to be able to score inside. And both James and Jordan are going to be able to do that as time goes by. It's going to be inconsistent. It's not going to be pretty all the time, but those two guys worked pretty well together when they were out there tonight, which was good to see.'

In 26 minutes, Jordan Williams tallied 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds. Padgett recorded 10 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. With two new, more traditionally sized front-court assets, the Terrapins operated as a more balanced unit. They remained capable of reverting to the formula -- stifling pressure defense and up-tempo transition offense -- that brought them success last year. Maryland forced CSU to commit 22 turnovers.

But with Padgett and Williams -- along with senior forward Landon Milbourne, who tallied a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds -- down low, Maryland's options on both ends of the court expanded. Gary Williams said he was not pleased with his team's rebounding effort in the first half, but attributed Maryland's second-half improvement in that area largely to the efforts of his freshman duo.

Additionally, the two freshmen provided an imposing interior presence on defense. Padgett blocked two shots and both big men provided help-side defense to alter several more. Their defensive efforts eased the stress on Milbourne, who also recorded two blocks, and the team's perimeter defenders.

'We send [opposing guards] to Jordan and James, and James and Jordan are athletic enough to get up and block shots and just take up some space inside,' said sophomore guard Sean Mosley, who scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. 'I really think that's going to help us out down the stretch.'

Milbourne, Padgett and Jordan Williams may shoulder an even heavier burden in the post in the coming weeks. Gregory's status remains unsettled. He sat out Friday night's game because of an unspecified violation of team rules, the same reason the team gave when Gregory sat out last week's exhibition game against Indiana (Pa.).

Gregory acknowledged this summer that his eligibility for the upcoming season was in question because of a charge of academic dishonesty. It is not known whether the academic charge Gregory acknowledged and his current suspension are related.

Sophomore forward Steve Goins also missed the game because a lingering knee injury, and sophomore forward Jin Soo Choi left the game midway through the second half with what Gary Williams later described as a sprained ankle. 'It didn't look good when I was out there,' Williams said.

But if Maryland's freshman tandem can continue to perform as efficiently as it did Friday night, the Terrapins should be able to hold steady for now.

'At this moment, to be honest, I never thought those guys were going to be that good, and I'm impressed,' said Greivis Vasquez, who tallied 13 assists. 'I'm happy and I'm excited and I'm looking forward to the whole season because we got some Maryland basketball going on in here.'

Copyright © 2009 The Washington Post, All Rights Reserved.