The Maryland men?s basketball team?s freshman class brings more than just hoop skills to the court. Coach Gary Williams, entering his 18th year in College Park, knows that he has a special group entering his program.
“We have had guys here the last couple years that have been kind of reserved,” Williams said. “We have got some freshmen coming in that show their feelings. I think that is great.”
Forwards Jerome Burney and Landon Milbourne and guards Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez make up the Terps? new class, with much buzz circling around the two guards.
“They play with the intensity level necessary to play in college basketball,” Williams said. “They don?t have to learn how to play basketball; they know how to do that.”
Williams has long stuck by the practice of playing the best combination of players, regardless of age.
“Greivis Vasquez is a little crazy out there. He gets very emotional. He is not afraid to show how he feels and I feel like we missed that last year. I certainly don?t coach that way,” Williams said tongue-in-cheek.
Vasquez brings a fire to the Terps, but Hayes brings a wealth of basketball knowledge to the team. The Dumfries, Va., native has played for his father since he was little, and this year will be his first year under a new coach. Excitement surrounds him because he has the potential to start right away at point guard.
If he does, Hayes would be the first to do so since Steve Blake came to Maryland. The Terps went 25-10 during Blake?s freshman year. Williams would not comment on whether Hayes would get a start.
“The freshman are real interesting,” senior center Will Bowers said. “They can all come in and play right away. They are all really talented, and the good thing about them is it is a lot of different personalities [but] they all come together and complement each other.”
In preseason workouts, Maryland?s veterans have been impressed with the youngsters, but have also been able to give a few pointers.
“We come out of high school ? we make mistakes,” said Vasquez, a native Venezuelan. “They really have patience and they talk to us and they help us when we make a mistake.”
Vasquez knows his calling card is his emotions.
“I am so passionate for the game,” he said. “I have so much energy. I love to celebrate.”
Hayes, however, brings a quiet confidence to the Terps. William?s said that he “plays like a coach?s son” and demonstrates a high basketball IQ and court awareness. Adjusting to the speed and athleticism of the college game has been a chief concern for Hayes.
“I have to be ready for whatever Coach Williams wants me to do,” Hayes said. “I am hoping to get a lot of playing time. My goal is to start.”
Whether any of the Terps? highly touted freshmen start or not, one of their chief concerns will be to gain confidence in the college limelight.
“A guy like Steve Blake always had that confidence that he could get it done,” Williams said. “That?s what you find out in practice, whether you have that.”
