Terps in ACC's 12 Days of Basketball
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 2011-12 University of Maryland men's basketball season begins on Friday night with an exhibition game against Northwood University, which has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in preseason NAIA polls.
The game will begin at 8 p.m. from Comcast Center with tickets available for as low as $20.
The Terrapins come into the season with new faces all around, including on the bench where Mark Turgeon takes over for Gary Williams. Turgeon, who earned back-to-back Coach of the Year honors in the Big 12 Conference, comes to College Park after leading Texas A&M to four straight NCAA Tournament berths.
Seniors Sean Mosley and Berend Weijs will lead the Terps on the court this year, with Mosley's 76 career starts ranking second among returning players in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin is Maryland's leading returning scorer, having posted 11.4 points per game as a freshman a year ago. Sophomore point guard Pe'Shon Howard will miss some time at the beginning of the season with a broken foot.
Redshirt freshman Ashton Pankey, junior James Padgett and Weijs will get the bulk of minutes up front while the Terrapins await the arrival of freshman center Alex Len from a 10-game suspension.
Freshman Nick Faust leads the newcomers and could be counted on to provide scoring and defense from the wing, as well as some minutes at the point-guard spot.
The Seahawks are coached by the legendary Rollie Massimino, who has developed a powerhouse at the Northwood campus. The Seahawks went 33-4 last year, including a perfect 16-0 record in The Sun Conference, on their way to the NAIA national semifinals.
First team All-American Jonathan Dunn returns after averaging 24 points per game last year, while third team All-American Patrick Horstmann is back after averaging a double-double a year ago.
