The Maryland basketball team begins practice Friday with one big question: What’s life like after Greivis Vasquez?
Losing a star player isn’t new for the Terrapins. It happens regularly. But Vasquez was special beyond the court. The Venezuelan guard was the epitome of amateur athletics, bypassing the NBA Draft as a junior to return for one more attempt at winning a championship. College basketball was a passion, not a steppingstone to NBA riches.
Vasquez might have been one of the top 10 Terps ever, which is a pretty strong list that includes Len Bias, Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, John Lucas, Albert King, Buck Williams, Juan Dixon and a few more to debate. Vasquez connected with fans for his dynamic attitude. There wasn’t a more popular student on campus.
If not for a buzzer beater in an early-round loss to Michigan State, Vasquez might have led the Terps to the Final Four in March. It was a haunting defeat that will be remembered for years.
“I think about it every day,” Terps coach Gary Williams said. “To be that good at the end of the year was special.”
Maryland begins its rebuilding process without Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne and Vasquez, whose combined 43.5 points a game accounted for 54.7 percent of the offense. Hayes and Vasquez were especially money at the foul line, with Hayes finishing with the Terps’ best free throw percentage ever.
“One thing that happens when playing with a great player is you defer to him, let him take the last shot,” Williams said. “This is [the returning players’] chance. We have to take this opportunity. We’ll be a different team, but we have guys that are aggressive.”
Now it’s up to Jordan Williams, Sean Mosley and a lot of newcomers — six of them. Unless Williams quickly emerges as a star, it’s another season of scrapping for 20 wins.
Williams works well underneath, and Mosley has a decent outside shot — he showed it against Villanova last year. But Mosley is more reminiscent of Mike Jones than Vasquez — a streaky player.
Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory have flashed potential over the past couple seasons. It’s now their turn. If they can’t deliver, there are four newcomers topped by forward Mychal Parker and guard Pe’Shon Howard, who will don Vasquez’s No. 21.
Gary Williams’ teams often start slow and peak in February in time for the postseason tournaments. This season could be the same if merely because of a brutal early nonconference schedule that includes Pittsburgh, Penn State, Temple and either Illinois or Texas.
“Last year we weren’t very good in November,” Williams said. “By February, we could beat anybody in the country. People want to put limits on what you can do. We’re looking forward to proving where we belong.”
With some growth, Maryland again should belong in the NCAA tournament.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
