Nov. 20, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Maryland plays the third and final contest in its season-opening homestand tonight against the University of Vermont Catamounts. The Terrapins (2-0) and Catamounts (1-1) will tip off at 8 p.m., with the game being telecast live on Comcast SportsNet.
Terrapin head coach Gary Williams comes into tonight's game seeking his 400th victory in a storied career as head coach of his alma mater. Williams carries a mark of 399-216 in 20 seasons at the University of Maryland and is the 6th winningest active coach at NCAA Division I with 606 victories in 31 seasons (606-343). He is one of only six active coaches at Division I who have reached the 600-win plateau.
Maryland got an amazing performance from junior guard Greivis Vasquez on Tuesday in a 73-49 victory over Youngstown State. Vasquez, a second team All-ACC performer last year as a sophomore, tied his career-high with 28 points. He also led the Terrapins with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in just 30 minutes of action. Vasquez was the last Terrapin to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and assists in a game, achieving that effort on 2/20/2008 with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists against Virginia Tech.
Tonight's game marks the return of former Maryland assistant coach Mike Lonergan, now in his fourth season as head coach of the Catamounts. Lonergan spent the 2004-05 season as an assistant for Terp head coach Gary Williams, then took the head coaching job when longtime successful head coach Tom Brennan retired in March 2005 after 19 years as head coach of Vermont. Lonergan was the 2007 America East Conference Coach of the Year. Former UM athletic department staffer Hajj Turner and Maryland alumnus Matt Hahn are current assistant coaches on Lonergan's staff.
Noting the Catamounts
Vermont comes into tonight's game with a 1-1 record. The Catamounts opened with an 80-79 overtime loss to George Mason, but recovered Tuesday night to post an 89-58 home victory over Yale...
Junior guard Maurice Joseph and senior forward Colin McIntosh led the Catamounts with 17 points each in the win over Yale, with senior guard Mike Trimboli adding 16 points and 7 assists...
Junior forward Marques Blakely is Vermont's leading scorer coming in to College park, averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 65 percent from the floor in his first two outings.
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 606-343 (.639)... He ranks second among active ACC coaches with 399 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 one 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 were 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 322 consecutive games.
The Terps have won 55 of 59 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.
Between 2004-05 and 2007-08, Maryland 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 will spend its Thanksgiving weekend with Disney as the Terrapins travel to Orlando, Fla., to play in the Old Spice Classic... Seven of the eight teams in the field played in the postseason a year ago, and six are currently either ranked or are receiving votes in this week's USA Today / ESPN coaches poll... Maryland opens play on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Michigan State, currently ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll... The Terps would play a second-round matchup against either No. 9 Gonzaga or Oklahoma State on Friday before finishing the tournament on Sunday... The Terps head to Orlando after practice on Tuesday.
Maryland's next home game is on Dec. 3 against Michigan 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 793-282 (.738) all-time at home dating back to 1923-24.
Maryland is 87-20 (.812) all-time at Comcast Center.
The Terps are 242-55 (.815) at home under Gary Williams (155-35 at Cole Field House).
Maryland is 141-25 (.849) at home the last 10-plus seasons (since 1998-99).
Maryland has won 49 of its last 52 regular season non-conference games at Comcast Center under Williams.
The Terps are 136-4 (.972) 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.
Strong Start Defensively
In its season-opener, Maryland held Bucknell to just 17 points in the first half on 7-for-28 shooting... The Bison missed all 7 of their 3-pointers before halftime... The 17 points marked the lowest total by a Maryalnd opponent since 12/28/05 when Delaware State had 13 first-half points...
The Terps limited Youngstown State to just 33 percent shooting from the floor in Tuesday's 73-49 victory, created 23 turnovers, posted 13 steals (more than in any single game in 2007-08) and forced YSU into 0-for-13 shooting from behind the 3-point arc..
Maryland has allowed its first two opponents just 50.5 points per game, a .325 shooting percentage from the floor and a .103 shooting mark from 3-point range...
Maryland held six opponents under 60 points during the 2007-08 season and three under 50 points.
"The Proving Ground" Breaks Ground on Comcast SportsNet
A one-hour special on this year's Maryland Men's Basketball team will premiere on Comcast SportsNet on November 21 at 7:00 pm. The show debuts just before the Terrapins take on Vermont at 8:00 p.m. live on Comcast SportsNet...
The show, titled "The Proving Ground: The 2008-09 Maryland Men's Basketball Team," chronicles head coach Gary Williams and his young team from Maryland Madness through the start of the regular season... "The Proving Ground" gives fans their first-ever look behind the scenes, during practice, in the weight room and during some of the lighter moments of the team preparation for the 2008-09 season...
Airdates and times:
Friday, Nov. 21, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 23, 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 27, 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 9:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 25, 4:00 p.m.
Head Coach Gary Williams Quotes - Thursday
On Maryland's first two games of the 2008-09 campaign:
"I just look at the first two games last year. Against Hampton, we won by six. Against Northeastern, we won in overtime. This year we've won our first two by 29 [81-52 over Bucknell] and 24 [73-49 over Youngstown State] ... I'm very pleased with this team in terms of how they work every day. I walk into practice every day very confident that we're going to have a good practice. It's not like I walk in here thinking, `I've got to get this guy pumped up.' We usually, as a team, show up ready to go."
On the Terps' performance on defense thus far this season:
"It's been fun working with these guys, and we're looking forward to [Friday night's] game. I'll take our effort on defense for 40 minutes so far. I think we've had an outstanding [defensive] effort in two games for 40 minutes."
On Maryland's ability to overcome slow starts:
"You're going to be in games where you're down 10-2 no matter how well you play. If a team plays great defense against you and you turn the ball over a couple times, you're down 10-2. So what do you do? Well you learn that if you keep playing defense, then you have a chance to get back in the game. Obviously, you're going to have to shut them down somewhere along the line to catch up. I think our defensive effort will allow us to do that if we get in that situation, because we have been in those situations already."
On Vermont forward Marqus Blakely:
"He's one of those players that everybody looked at and I'm sure they said, `he's not big enough to play the way he plays.' Now I think anybody would take him on their team, and that happens in recruiting. He's a 6-foot-4 power forward, and nobody wants a 6-4 power forward until they see a guy average what he's averaging. He's a good player, plus he's a good team player. You can see other players like to play with him when we watch tape. He's very good."
