Terps Open Season Sunday vs. UNCW

Nov. 12, 2011

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland begins its 2011-12 men's basketball season with a Sunday-night battle (8 p.m.) against UNC Wilmington. The Terrapins, coming off a 19-14 season, open the new year facing the Seahawks on the hardwood for the third time ever. The Terrapins own a 2-0 edge in the series, with the last meeting being a 75-73 Maryland victory on March 21, 2003 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The win came on a buzzer-beater by Drew Nicholas.

Storyline

For the first time in 23 seasons, the Terrapins will be led onto the court Sunday by a new head coach in Mark Turgeon. Following Gary Williams' retirement last May, Turgeon was named Maryland's new head coach after a successful stint at Texas A&M where he led the Aggies to four straight NCAA Tournaments. He is only the fourth head coach the Terrapins have had in the past 43 seasons, since Lefty Driesell became the new coach of the Terrapins in the 1969-70 season.

Maryland will have two scholarship seniors on this year's squad in guard Sean Mosley and center Berend Weijs. Mosley is Maryland's lone fourth-year player on the roster and comes into the season second among returnees in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 76 career starts. Mosley is also the only Terrapin who comes into the new season with more than 15 career starts. Already with 117 career steals, Mosley could finish the season among the Terps' all-time leaders in that category. He needs five to move into the top 20 all-time at Maryland.

Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin is Maryland's leading returning scorer. A member of the ACC All-Freshman Team a year ago, Stoglin averaged 11.4 points per game last season and hit .359 from 3-point range. He earned back-to-back ACC Rookie of the Week honors during a February stretch in which he scored 20 points or more in four of five games.

The Terrapins will be without sophomore point guard Pe'Shon Howard, who is out with a broken left foot, and freshman center Alex Len, who is serving a 10-game suspension due to NCAA amateurism guidelines. The Terrapins open the season with five walk-ons among the eight newcomers on this year's roster.

Scouting the Seahawks

UNC Wilmington went 13-18 and 7-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2010-11, the first season under the direction of head coach Buzz Peterson. Now in his fifth stop as a head coach, Peterson owns a career record of 238-165.

The Seahawks return three starters and eight letterwinners from last season's squad and have captured wins in both their exhibitions, defeating St. Andrews 80-69 on Oct. 29 and St. Augustine's 56-53 on Nov. 6.

Keith Rendleman, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, is the leading returning scorer and rebounder, having averaged 11.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg while starting all 31 games a year ago. Rendleman also led the team with 30 blocks and ranked second with 28 steals. Joining Rendleman in the frontcourt is sophomore forward Donte Morales, who averaged 5.2 ppg as a freshman, and junior center Matt Wilson, a 7-footer who averaged 4.5 ppg and 2.8 rpg a year ago.

Senior guard Trevor Deloach and sophomore guard Tanner Milson are the starting duo in the backcourt. Deloach started just six games a year ago but led the team by connecting on 42.1 percent of his 3-point attempts, while Milson made 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers last year. Deloach (8.8 ppg) and Milson (6.1 ppg) were third and fifth on the team in scoring.

Upcoming

Following Sunday's opener with UNC Wilmington, Maryland travels to San Juan for the 5-hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Terrapins play Alabama in the first round on Thursday, then face either Colorado or Wichita State in Friday's second round. The third round of the tournament is on Sunday. Maryland will return to Comcast Center on Friday, Nov. 25 to play host to Florida Gulf Coast.

Players Mentioned

Pe'Shon Howard

Sean Mosley

Terrell Stoglin

Berend Weijs

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