After an improbable 13-3 ACC regular season record, Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez was voted the ACC Player of the Year and Gary Williams was voted ACC Coach of the Year. Jordan Williams made 1st team All-Freshman and finished second in the voting for ACC Freshman of the Year. It is truly amazing how much things can change in one year.
This time last year the Terps were coming off a humiliating road loss at Charlottesville in a game they needed to win to get into the NCAA tournament (or so we thought). The Terps had just beaten #1 North Carolina, but this loss to Virginia pushed their record to 7-9 in ACC play.
Maryland fans were calling for Gary’s head as it looked like the Terps would make their third straight NIT appearance. The fans were tired of terrible recruiting classes, tired of failing to make the NCAA tournament, and tired of letting Gary off the hook because of back to back Final 4 appearances. Maryland went to the 2009 ACC tournament in Atlanta needing two or three wins to have any chance of saving the season. They beat N.C. State, Wake Forest, and gave Duke all they could handle to secure their selection into the NCAA tournament. A beleaguered Gary Williams and Greivis Vasquez were able to ice the cake with an NCAA tournament win over Cal 84-71.
The 2009/2010 season got off to a slow start as Maryland failed to beat a credible out of conference opponent. Maryland got worked over in the Maui Invitational by losing to Cincinnati & Wisconsin. The Terps proceeded to lose to Villanova in the BB&T Classic and dropped a miserable game to William & Mary in Comcast Center. Maryland was once again in danger of missing the NCAA tournament and there was no margin for error in ACC play.
I always believed the Terps would get it going and turn the season around. I knew that having two seniors in the back court would pay dividends. I knew Greivis would improve on his poor early season form and ultimately look like a 1st team All-ACC player. I knew they could finish Top 4 in the ACC and make a run to the Sweet 16.
I never expected or thought that the Terps would win 13 ACC games. I never expected Gary Williams to be the ACC Coach of the Year. I never expected Greivis to win ACC Player of the Year. And, NOBODY thought Jordan Williams would finish second for ACC Freshman of the Year.
I remember writing on the website that the Terps were “steamrolling” through the ACC. I got murdered for this headline as people couldn’t believe I would make this statement about a mediocre team that just beat three other mediocre teams. In retrospect, I wasn’t that overzealous with that statement. Not only did Maryland win 13 ACC games, but they covered the spread in 13 ACC games as well.
What a long strange trip it has been over the last 365 days of Maryland basketball.
Maryland will likely a face a hungry Georgia Tech team on Friday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. Georgia Tech currently sits at 7-9 in the ACC after losing their ACC finale at home to VA Tech. The shoe is on the other foot this year and Maryland will be the #2 seed who will try to beat a 7-9 team on the NCAA tournament bubble. The Terps nipped the Yellow Jackets at the buzzer in Comcast Center less than a month ago, and you know they will be out for revenge.
If Maryland can get by GA Tech or North Carolina in the quarterfinals, I expect them to beat Clemson, NC State, or Florida St. in the semifinals. As always, the Blue Devils are sure to cut down the nets on Sunday with the help of some tobacco road officiating.
Every person who took time out of their life to call a sports talk radio show and bash Gary Williams last year, needs to take the same time and write him a letter of apology. Also, do you think Greivis made the right decision by opting out of the NBA draft in order to play his Senior season at MD (sarcasm)?
Woodman – extremely worried about Friday
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops, Terps Tagged: | 2010 acc tournament, gary williams, greivis vasquez, jordan williams
As much as I’m not a Terps fan by any means, congrats to Vasquez and Williams…they both deserved the awards.
While I’m not sure the Terps are much better than the Sweet 16 at best, I am a big Vasquez fan and think he will be a performer on the next level. It was a great decision of his to come back for one more season as it will probably turn him from an early 2nd round pick into a lottery pick (one has to assume being the 10th to 13th pick in the draft isn’t out of the question for a 6’6″ Guard with range and the ability to create his own shot).
I think my favorite thing about this guy is that he’s as cocky as they come but, puts it all on his shoulders win or lose. He’s a winner and always has been regardless of whether or not the Terps have been.
Congrats to Greivas and I hope he continues to have success for years to come.
My knowledge of the NBA draft is limited, but I wouldn’t think Vazquez wouldn’t be a lottery pick. With all the one-and-done college players and European talent I would think he’d be a late first round pick. That being said, I think he’s fully deserving of the ACC POY award…Same goes for Gary.
Let’s put it this way…Tyler Handsborrough was a lottery pick last year at #13.
I would be shocked if Vasquez didn’t go at least 13 at this point…most had him projected around 35-40 last year and teams are souring on drafting European players high (as was relevent in last years draft) as so many of them (i.e. Ricky Rubio) stay in Europe if they’re eithere a) not drafted to a team they like or b) are under contract in Europe for an extended period of time.
Vasquez will be a late lottery pick. 6’6″ Offensive powerhouses like him (at the Guard Position) are not easy to come by. He will be a 15 Point a night guy in the NBA easily…
I’ll concede that your NBA knowledge is far superior to mine, but I just can’t see Vasquez being a lottery pick. I know mock drafts are not usually the most accurate, but I looked at several of them and none of them had Greivis in the lottery…some didn’t have him in the first round. Here’s who ESPN thinks is going in the lottery: http://espn.go.com/nba/lottery2010/mockdraft
Again, I believe Vasquez will be a lottery pick. The NBA Draft is the most impossible thing to predict that there is which is why I’ll trust Chad Ford as far as I can throw him. After the first 3 picks the draft is next to impossible. Ford is wrong an astounding amount year in and year out too…more so than Kiper in the NFL. The NBA is so much harder to predict than the NFL but, notoriously, guys like Hansborrough or Battier, etc…are predicted to go in the early to mid 20′s and end up going in the lottery…I don’t think Vasquez will be any different considering his offensive talent and size.
I literally just went through about 20 different mock drafts with all of them being vastly different other than Wall and Turner at 1 and 2. A lot of them didn’t even have Xavier Henry in the Top 10 which is laughable at best.
Think Wally Zcerbiack…especially if he continues to light it up in the ACC and NCAA Tournament I’ll be shocked if Greives doesn’t go higher than most expect.