March 23, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -
Over the course of his four-year career at Maryland, Greivis Vasquez provided Terrapins fans with memories they won't soon forget.
There was the triple-double last year in an overtime win over North Carolina, a 27-point performance against California in last season's NCAA tournament and a 41-point effort last month in a huge double-overtime victory at Virginia Tech.
Even in defeat, Vasquez provided the Terps with emotion, leadership and points. So it was fitting that his tenure at Maryland ended with a gritty, leave-it-all-on-the-floor showing Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Michigan State.
With Vasquez leading the way, the Terrapins rallied from a 16-point deficit and took the lead on a twisting layup by the senior guard lead with 6 seconds left.
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Korie Lucious ended Maryland's season with bitter disappointment. But despite that unforgettable finish, Vasquez cherishes his time at Maryland.
"I'm just proud of being on this team," he said. "I'm proud of my teammates. I'm proud to be in the Maryland family. I'm happy. I'm going to hold my head up. It's been great, these four years."
Vasquez and fellow seniors Landon Milbourne and Eric Hayes reached the NCAA tournament in three of their four years and went 89-47 overall. This season, the trio helped the Terrapins (24-9) earn a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title, a berth in the Top 20 and a solid win over Houston in the NCAA tournament opener.
Not bad for a team picked in a preseason poll of ACC media to finish fifth in the league.
"The three seniors, they carried us on their back the whole season," sophomore guard Sean Mosley said.
Vasquez scored 26 against Michigan State, Hayes had 18 and Milbourne 11. But it wasn't enough to get Maryland into the round of 16 for the first time since 2003.
"It's tough to think about now," Hayes said afterward, "but I'm sure down the road that we'll look back and be very proud of how we came back in this game."
And perhaps sooner than that, Hayes can fully appreciate the past four years.
"I had a great career," he said. "Maybe in a couple of days, a week or so, I'll be able to look back and remember all the great memories. It's been a great four years. I'm just sad to see it end."
Maryland coach Gary Williams probably couldn't have gotten more out of this team, and was rewarded for his effort by being selected the ACC Coach of the Year. Vasquez was named the ACC Player of the Year award.
Williams will seek to pull off an encore next year without Vasquez, who finished as the second-leading scorer in Maryland history behind Juan Dixon. Hayes and Milbourne will be missed, too.
"They have done a great job on and off the court not just as basketball players, but leaders of our basketball program," Williams said. "These guys have been great models for us."
It won't be the same without Vasquez and Hayes, who combined for 218 starts, and Milbourne, who developed into a star forward after scoring only 16 points as a freshman.
The go-to players next season will be Mosley, forward Cliff Tucker, guard Adrian Bowie and center Jordan Williams, a rapidly improving 6-foot-10 freshman who had a double-double against both Houston and Michigan State.
Forwards Dino Gregory and James Padgett will also be asked to contribute on the boards.
"We'll have a whole different team next year," Jordan Williams said. "We'll come back, work hard and just go from there."
