Alex Len sat on the Terrapin men’s basketball bench filled with nerves Wednesday night, just moments from finally appearing on the court as an American collegiate basketball player.

It had all built up to this moment. All the countless practices he’s willed himself through the past three months despite a 10-game suspension that sentenced him to a seat at the end of that very bench.

Sitting next to him, senior captain Sean Mosley uttered few reassuring words and pounded his center’s chest as the 7-foot-1 Ukrainian emerged off the bench to the sound of his name on the PA system in Comcast Center.

Less than a minute into the game, Mosley lobbed an alley-oop pass to Len on the fast break and the freshman thunderously threw down a one-handed slam to register his first points as a Terp, wiping away all the fears at least momentarily.

With Len in the starting lineup, the Terps looked like a completely different team against Albany, one that could challenge in the ACC and could compete for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. His 14-point, eight-rebound and three-block performance led to an 83-72 victory, the Terps’ first double-digit win of the season.

“I was real happy for him because he was nervous in the locker room,” guard Terrell Stoglin said. “We told him to play his game, to have fun and that the crowd is going to love you.”

Finally coach Mark Turgeon could attribute his team’s depth to the win, as Len and guard Pe’Shon Howard both made their first starts of the season and increased the available scholarship players to nine.

Five Terps (8-3) scored in double digits, including Stoglin who had a team-high 22.

“We’re just a totally different team with [Len] and Pe’Shon,” Turgeon said. “We can pressure. We can run. It really just gives us quality depth right now. We have five guards that I feel comfortable with and four bigs I feel comfortable with.”

Len sank all five of his shots in the first half, including four dunks. While he finished with five turnovers, the big men had an impact defensively with his length.

Turgeon said he made the decision to start Len two weeks ago after watching him in practice.

“In the long run he’s potentially got a chance to be pretty good and be our best guy,” Turgeon said.

The secrets out as the public saw for the first time the impact the 7-footer could make on the team.

“[Terps assistant coach] Scott Spinelli tells my assistant that [former NBA coach] Larry Brown was at practice the other day and said the kid’s going to be a lottery pick,” Albany coach Will Brown said. “That’s the last thing you want to hear about the opposing team when you know nothing about him and you’re about to take the court.”

Len’s presence led to a dominant performance in the paint, as the Terps outrebounded the Great Danes 49-28.

“First day here, I said Alex is a pro because of the potential he has,” Howard said. “He just has great hands, great feet and a shot. He has a great feel for a game.”

Howard also played a fine game, converting all seven of his shots (three from the field, four from the free throw line) and finishing with eight assists in just his second game back from his foot injury.

Stoglin hit a career-high six 3-pointers, while forward James Padgett came off the bench to finish with 13 points and seven rebounds.

For the first time this season, the Terps looked like a complete team – one that could challenge offensively from the inside and the outside. And, for the first time this season, they didn’t have to scratch out a win late in the game.

A lot of that had to do with No. 25, who received a raucous ovation from the crowd and chants of “We love Alex” at the end of the game.

“We’re looking more like a team now,” Stoglin said. “We’re going to be good this year.”

ceckard@umdbk.com

Catching a quick outlet pass, Terrapin men’s basketball guard Pe’Shon Howard was off, cruising down the court at Comcast Center, weaving past several defenders and finishing with a no-look pass in the paint.

It took the sophomore just four seconds to record his first assist of the season, returning to action for the first time since breaking a bone in his left foot two months ago.

He entered Friday night’s game at the 17:16 mark to the raucous ovation from a thin crowd with his Terps locked in another tight battle with an inferior non-conference opponent.

Radford, which had lost nine straight entering the game, held the lead for most of the first half and kept the Terps on their heels for its third straight game. Still, Howard’s return helped the Terps walk away with a 65-60 win against the Highlanders (3-11).

The Terps (7-3) have won four straight, none by double digits.

“I’ve watched about seven films on Radford and that’s the best I’ve seen them play,” Turgeon said. “We played with poise, we executed down the stretch and it was a good win.”

(more…)

Terrapin men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon officially announced today that sophomore guard Pe’Shon Howard will play his first game of the season tomorrow against Radford (Dec. 23).

Howard had missed the first two months of the season with a broken bone in his left foot. His absence left the Terps short-handed and without a true point guard. The injury forced Turgeon to move freshman swing Nick Faust to the point to share time with guard Terrell Stoglin, neither of which truly worked for the Terps. Stoglin is a scorer, and Faust is a great offensive rebounder, and running the offense takes away from both of those assets.

Howard averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 assists last year as a freshman and became a important part of the Terps’ rotation during ACC play last year. The team will certainly welcome him back as they rank No. 334 nationally in assists per game (9.3).

Alex Len is slated to return next Wednesday, Dec. 28 after serving his 10-game suspension for violating the NCAA rules of amateurism.

Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin men’s basketball beat reporter. Reach him at ceckard@umdbk.com and follow him on twitter at Twitter.com/ceckard.

… and it’s a biggie.

Defensive tackle Joe Vellano was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press on Wednesday, arguably the biggest feather in his cap to date after a fine junior season.

Vellano, who last week was also named to the Walter Camp All-America second team, finished this season with 94 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He was the Terps’ lone All-ACC selection after a season otherwise devoid of highlights for his Terps teammates.

Linemate Andre Monroe, meanwhile, earned a spot on College Football News’ Freshman All-America team last week. He started just four games due to injury, but he finished second in the FBS in sacks among freshmen (0.56 per game) and first the ACC in tackles for loss (0.83 per game) among freshmen.

Less than a week ago, The Denver Post reported that Gary Crowton, the offensive coordinator of the Terrapins football team, expressed interest in the vacant coaching job at Colorado State.

While that position has since been filled, reports surfaced yesterday that Crowton will not return to the Terps next season.

According to The Washington Post and The Washington Times, a combined four sources familiar with the program said Crowton will not return next season and the Terps’ assistant coaching staff was informed of the matter yesterday morning.

The Terps neither confirmed nor denied the report in an email yesterday.

“We do not discuss personnel matters,” a team spokesman said.

Crowton, who just completed his first season with the team, still has two years left on a contract that guarantees more than $500,000 per year.

And while he’s publically maintained his commitment to the program in the days following The Post’s report, Crowton did say “at some point I want to be a head coach again” through a team spokesman.

Two Terrapins men’s soccer players felt a bit of solace today as top-ranked North Carolina beat Charlotte, 1-0, to take home its first national title in 10 years.

Because less than two weeks after their seasons ended with a 4-2 loss to Louisville in the third round of the NCAA tournament, senior forward Casey Townsend and junior midfielder John Stertzer earned NSCAA All-America honors Friday. Townsend was a second-team selection, while Stertzer made the third team.

Townsend, who ranks third on the program’s career goals list, led the Terps with 17 goals this season. Stertzer, a relatively unknown prospect entering the season, captured the attention of MLS scouts this year with 14 goals of his own.

Both Townsend and Stertzer were All-ACC first-team selections. Last week, Townsend was invited to participate in the 2012 MLS Combine. Stertzer has yet to announce whether he’ll return to the team next year, or if he’ll try to pursue a professional career. Expect a decision from him in the coming weeks.

Terrapins football freshman linebacker Alex Twine was arrested Friday night and charged with disorderly conduct and failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order.

The Gaithersburg native, who turned 18 years old Friday, is coming off a solid campaign as a true freshman. He started four games as the Terps’ weakside linebacker, finishing the year with 47 tackles and a sack.

There has been no comment yet from Twine or the team about the incident. He is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 30.

Twine’s case can be found on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search. Once agreeing to the terms and conditions, you can find the case here.