Howard, Stoglin among those who can contribute
Whether Maryland can participate in the dance that really matters will be answered over the next five months.
The top three scorers from last year’s 24-9 team — Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes — are now playing professionally, leaving heavy-duty responsibility to five veterans — all rotation players last season. It will be up to guards Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker and Sean Mosley and forwards Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory to step into larger roles.
But they won’t be able to do it by themselves. Who among the team’s six newcomers will be ready to contribute?
Many players believe freshman point guard Pe’Shon Howard, listed generously at 6-foot-3, has the stuff to make an instant impact. In the Terps’ brief scrimmage Friday night, Howard showed explosiveness and confidence.
“I feel like I can step in and play immediately,” said Howard, a Los Angeles native. “That’s one of the reasons I chose Maryland. I thought the opportunity was there to play as a freshman, to play in the ACC.”
Howard’s confidence is such that he has taken the No. 21 jersey, previously worn by Vasquez. At 195 pounds, Howard has physical presence. He was a quick study at Oak Hill (Va.), where he started as a sophomore. Howard said he considers himself a passer and scorer, a description that 6-1 freshman Terrell Stoglin, a left-hander from Tucson, Ariz., said also fits him.
Stoglin also was named by other players as a guy who could contribute quickly. Another player with an ACC-ready build is 6-9, 220-pound freshman forward Ashton Pankey (Bronx, N.Y.), who missed his senior year of high school with a stress fracture in his leg.
“I think we’re a more versatile team with six new guys coming in,” Williams said. “We have many more things to add to the table. Each individual players does great things, things we didn’t have necessarily last year.”
