Before the Terrapin men’s basketball team got a look at its revamped uniforms, each player they received another less flashy but even more crucial piece of wardrobe at least according to center Jordan Williams: a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Win September.”

“A lot of teams think it’s important to win in November or January, but we think that preseason’s the most important part,” Williams said.

Preseason preparation translates directly to a successful start, or so the Terps believe.

And according to the players, the team’s own performance last year backs up their claim. Last year, after starting the year with three blowout wins at home against cupcake opponents, the Terps dropped two of three in the Maui Invitational Tournament at the end of November. They then dropped games against Villanova and William and Mary in December before starting the ACC schedule.

While the team went on to lose just three games through final two-thirds of the regular season, the Terps do not want to suffer an early-season slump this year.

“Last year, obviously something went wrong, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, so we started off real bad,” senior forward Cliff Tucker said. “We put those ‘Win September’ shirts on so we would work harder than we did last year and come out and win a bunch of games at the beginning of the year.” (more…)

After a stellar freshman season, it was announced Monday that Terrapin men’s basketball center Jordan Williams was one of 50 players named to the preseason list for the John Wooden Award, given to the best player in the country.

A heralded recruit from Torrington, Conn., Williams made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, averaging 9.6 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. He had five double-doubles in the Terps’ last 10 games, including both NCAA Tournament games.

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Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams was wrapping up his acceptance speech Thursday night after being inducted into the “Hall of Legends” of the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, during which he mostly reflected on the past. But one of the last things he said dealt with the future of Maryland.

“This year is a challenge,” Williams said. “But it’s a challenge I really like. We have six new players, six veteran players, we have to get those guys together. I think we have the right attitude… and I’m anxious to get this thing started.”

Pretty docile coachspeak. But then he let something slip that got me thinking right away.

“Midnight Madness is the 15th,” Williams said, “and there’ll be a special surprise.”

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The Terrapin men’s basketball team might have the new threads to match its new wave of players.

Team members raved about new Under Armour uniforms on Twitter yesterday, promising pictures to fans who asked for them. Point guard Adrian Bowie obliged, publishing a picture of what appears to be a new uniform for the 2010-11 season on Facebook.

The picture shows a white uniform, typically the Terps’ home jersey (though the team has occasionally abandoned the white uni for the gold edition in recent years). The numbers and font seem to be the same, though the above image reveals a change in number for Bowie from No. 22 to No. 1. The major difference appears to be a turtle-shell pattern on the jersey’s side panels.

Assuming the pictures are legitimate, look for them to be officially unveiled during Maryland Madness on Oct. 15, the official start of basketball season nationwide.

Jeremy Schneider is The Diamondback’s Terrapin administration beat writer. He can be reached at schneider@umdbk.com You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jschneider_

The Terrapin men’s basketball team announced yesterday the commitment of Berend Weijs, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound center from Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and the reviews are starting to pour in.

Coach Gary Williams spoke highly of Weijs in a press release. “Berend is a 6-10 very agile and mobile post player,” Williams said. “With his size, skill and athleticism he will be able to contribute to our team immediately. He played on a very good junior college team and for a very good coach. We are extremely excited about Berend joining our program.”

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On the same day that the Terrapin men’s basketball team lost assistant coach Chuck Driesell to The Citadel and former Terps’ recruit Terrence Ross all but committed to Washington, the Terps gained their first commitment for the 2011 class: Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) point guard Sterling Gibbs.

The three-star recruit picked the Terps over Seton Hall, Rutgers, Indiana, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Florida, Virginia and St. John’s. Driesell’s departure from College Park was not enough to shake Gibbs’ desire to commit, according to reports.

“I knew that this was definitely where I wanted to be,” Gibbs told collegehoops.net. “At the end of the day, coach Williams is the one making the subs.”

Gibbs is the younger brother of current Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs, and according to ESPN (subscription required), the two have similar styles:

“Their games are carbon copies of one another. Sterling has point guard size but more of a two guard game. He is a scorer. He is good at creating his own shot. He has a solid mid range game and get to multiple spots on the floor to get his shot off. He has range on his jumper to 19 feet. He is a scrapper and plays with heart. He is a solid defender that is always competing. Sterling is a solid combo guard that should follow the same career path as his brother and have a solid 4 year college career at a high major school.”

With guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes graduating and no clear-cut favorite to start at the point in 2010, Gibbs could contend for significant playing time when he arrives the following season.

Jeremy Schneider is The Diamondback’s Terrapin softball beat writer. He can be reached at schneider@umdbk.com.

One measure of Gary Williams’ success as Terrapin men’s basketball coach has been his ability to groom assistants for Division I coaching jobs.

Assistant coach Chuck Driesell will be the latest addition to that list, according to multiple published reports. Driesell, the son of former Terps’ coach Lefty Driesell, is expected to be named the head coach at The Citadel as early as today.

Driesell would replace Ed Conroy, who accepted the head job at Tulane earlier this month after guiding the Bulldogs to a 16-16 (9-9 Southern Conference) record last season.

An athletics department spokesman at The Citadel would not confirm the hiring Monday afternoon. But Comcast Sportsnet reported the school will introduce Driesell at a 4 p.m. news conference today, and Williams is preparing for the fourth-year assistant and leading recruiting coordinator to move on.

“A lot of really good assistants, they want to be head coaches. That’s what makes them good,” Williams said by phone Monday night. “Chuck worked hard for a couple years. I’m glad to see it worked out.”

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