Nov. 17, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Fresh off its season-opening victory over Bucknell last Friday night, the Maryland men's basketball team returns to action against Youngstown State in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Terrapins (1-0) and Penguins (0-1) tip off at 8 p.m.
Maryland got 16 points from Landon Milbourne in an 81-52 victory over the Bison to start the 2008-09 season last Friday. Milbourne hit all four of his field goals and all five of his free throws to score 13 points in the second half. He led four players in double figures, including 14 from Cliff Tucker, 13 from Greivis Vasquez and a dozen off the bench by the improving Adrian Bowie.
Terrapins head coach Gary Williams sits two victories away from his 400th at his alma mater. He is currently 398-215 just starting his 20th season as head coach in College Park. Williams stands sixth among active NCAA Division I coaches in victories with 605.
Maryland junior guard Greivis Vasquez is also closing on a milestone, needing just 76 points to become the 47th player in school history to hit the 1,000-point plateau in his career. In just two seasons plus one game, Vasquez already appears on Terrapin career lists in assists (11th, 394), 3-point field goals (14th, 97) and 3-point field goal attempts (13th, 309).
Sophomore Cliff Tucker took advantage of his starting role against Bucknell to post a career-high 14 points. He also chipped in with five rebounds, as the Terps used a rebounding-by-committee approach to a 48-45 edge on the boards over the Bison. Seven different Terps had at least four rebounds against Bucknell. Vasquez, Braxton Dupree and Dave Neal led the Terps with six apiece.
Noting the Penguins
Youngstown State lost its season-opener at home last Saturday, falling to Buffalo 70-62... The Penguins were led by a double-double from 6-foot-7 junior forward Sirlester Martin, who had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
The Penguins of the Horizon League were plagued by cold shooting, hitting 35.4 percent from the floor, but committed only 10 turnovers in their first game of the year...
Kelvin Bright had 11 points in 39 minutes, while backcourt mate Vytas Sulskis had 10 points. Jack Liles finished with 10 points and four blocks for the Penguins...
YSU is coached by Jerry Slocum, who is in his fourth season at the school, but holds a 610-385 career record in 34 seasons as a head coach.
Gary Williams' 20th Season
Head coach Gary Williams reaches another in a career filled with milestones when he coaches his alma mater for the 20th season in 2008-09...
He is the 6th-winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an overall record of 605-343 (.638)... He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 398 wins at Maryland (3rd overall) and also ranks second among active league coaches with 165 ACC victories. Williams is the Terps' all-time winningest coach...
He sits two victories away from recording his 400th win in College Park just having started his 20th season... His 397 wins in 19 years at the beginning of the season was an average of 20.9 wins per season with the Terps...
Maryland's 70-65 victory over Boston College (2/6/2008) gave Williams his 600th career victory... Only five other active head coaches in Division I have 600 career wins.
Milestones, Streaks, etc.
Maryland has hit at least one 3-pointer in 321 consecutive games.
The Terps have won 54 of 58 non-conference games since moving into Comcast Center.
Maryland has won at least 19 games in 12 straight seasons.
The Terps have made 15 consecutive postseason appearances.
Maryland's last losing season came in 1992-93, the last season of devastating NCAA sanctions levied against previous staffs at Maryland... Each school in the ACC has had a losing season since the Terps fell below .500 some 15 seasons ago... In fact, 9 of the 11 ACC opponents have suffered through a losing season since the Terps won the NCAA title in 2002... Duke and UNC are the exceptions.
Over the last four seasons, Maryland has won 82 games, an average of 20.5 per season... That matches the number of wins that Gary Williams directed during the first four seasons (1994-97) of Maryland's run of 11 straight titles.
Tri-Captains
Maryland will have three captains repesenting the team in a leadership role in 2008-09. Senior Dave Neal will accept the role, along with juniors Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne.
Looking Ahead
Maryland plays its third straight home game to open the season on Friday evening against Vermont... The Catamounts are coached by former Terrapin assistant Mike Lonergan...
The Terps then will spend the Thanksgiving holidays in Orlando, Fla., playing in the Old Spice Classic, where seven of the eight teams appeared in the postseason a year ago....
Maryland then returns home to face Michigan on Dec. 3 in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge... All six December games are in the Washington, D.C., area, as the Terps' only appearance away from Comcast Center will come at the Verizon Center in a BB&T Classic matchup against George Washington on Dec. 7...
The Terps have a seven-game homestand between December 12 and January 10, with the final game in that stretch being a Comcast Center matchup with Georgia Tech that serves as the ACC opener.
Maryland Among ACC's Best Last Ten Years
Maryland has been one of the top programs in the ACC over the past 10 seasons.
With 100 wins since 1999, Maryland is third among all ACC schools in regular-season wins.
Head coach Gary Williams ranks second among active ACC coaches with 165 career wins in league play.
The Terps captured the 2002 ACC regular-season title & the 2004 ACC Tourney championship.
Home Sweet Home
Maryland has been a dominant home team over the years:
The Terps are 792-282 (.738) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
Maryland is 86-20 (.811) all-time at Comcast Center.
The Terps are 241-55 (.814) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
Maryland is 140-25 (.848) at home the last 10-plus seasons (since 1998-99).
Maryland has won 48 of its last 51 regular season non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
The Terps are 135-4 (.971) in regular season non-conference home games under Williams.
Maryland is 72-17 (.809) in home-openers in College Park all-time, including a 32-game winning streak (last loss on 11/27/76 to Notre Dame, 80-79, OT)... The Terps did not play a home game in 1918-19.
Maryland was 476-151 in 47 seasons at Cole Field House; 169-90 in 24 seasons at Ritchie Coliseum and 61-21 in eight seasons at The Gymnasium.
Fear the Turtle!
Maryland is one of the most consistent winning programs in the country following more than a decade of excellence:
Maryland's participation in the 2007-08 NIT marked the 15th straight year the Terrapins reached postseason play.
The Terps have averaged 23.0 wins per season the last 13 years, including eight consecutive 20-win seasons from 1996-2004.
Maryland has made 15 straight postseason appearances, including 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA TOURNAMENT from 1993-2004 - a feat only six schools accomplished at the time.
The Terrapins have won at least two postseason games (ACC, NCAA, NIT) in eight of the last 10 seasons.
The Terps have advanced to the NCAA SWEET 16 seven times in the last 14 years.
Maryland made consecutive trips to the NCAA FINAL FOUR in 2001 and 2002 .
The Terps captured the 2002 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
The Terps captured the 2004 ACC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP.
Commitment To Education
Sophomore forward Jerome Burney is once again the recipient of the LeFrak Scholarship Award for the men's basketball program. The scholarship represents an endowment established by the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Foundation, and is awarded annually to three Maryland student-athletes who exhibit extraordinary athletic, leadership, and scholarship abilities in football, men's basketball and men's track and field...
Senior Dave Neal is on track to graduate and continue a trend of graduates in the program... James Gist, Bambale Osby and Jason McAlpin were 2007-08 seniors who earned their degrees as Terrapin basketball players.
Gary Williams Pregame Quotes - Monday, Nov. 17
On the signing of James Padgett:
"James Padgett has official signed his National Letter of Intent. His team in high school in Brooklyn, N.Y., won the state championship. He could be player of the year in New York City this year. He's powerful and that gives us 6-foot-10 Jordan Williams and 6-8 James Padgett."
On the frontcourt:
"James Gist was a very good shot blocker. He had very good timing. Bambale Osby was good for a guy his size. He was only 6-6. Both those guys could block shots. We were way up in the conference in blocked shots. If you play perimeter defense a little better then there is not as much of a need for blocked shots.
"I think we are better on the perimeter this year and then you learn how to help. Part of being a good team defense is the ability to get more than one person on the ball. There are some things we can do to make up for it. I still think we will be big enough this season. It's not always the size but the ability of play."
On the inside game against Bucknell:
"Bucknell didn't have a dominating inside presence but I thought we did okay. Youngstown has a better inside play to go against, so that will give us more of a look."
On Braxton Dupree:
"I think Braxton Dupree shouldn't put emphasis on scoring. That's the least of my worries. He should be concerned about getting every rebound that comes off the rim and about defending his position in there. If he can do that, we'll be fine. That's what we need because we can score. We are going to score points, but you still have to stop the other team inside and you have to rebound."
On quality play from young players:
"There are several players that are playing well right now. Adrian Bowie is playing very well. Jin Soo Kim is playing well for where he is in the program with the amount of practice he's had. Sean Mosley is playing very well. Friday against Bucknell is the best he's played practice or a game since he sprained his ankle."
On Dave Neal:
"Dave knows what we're trying to do. He's been here four years. I think he knows how to get open in the offense, he knows how to play position defense. Dave earned some playing time after what he did last game."
On Sean Mosley's progress:
"Sean Mosley looks like he isn't afraid to step in there and take a charge. It's a mindset you have to have. He really knows the game. He knows where the ball should go. He is a very quick learner. He has come into a situation where both Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker have gotten better at the same time."
