The Terrapin men’s basketball team held its second open scrimmage of the season this afternoon in front of roughly 75 loyal fans.
Coach Gray Williams separated the scrimmage into four 10-minute quarters and mixed up the teams before each new quarter. The two Terps to be on the winning side in all four mini-games: junior Greivis Vasquez and freshman Sean Mosley. The two players scored 16 points each, minimized mistakes and played smart basketball.
Here are the unofficial point totals for each player during the scrimmage.
Eric Hayes- 28
Cliff Tucker- 25
Landon Milbourne- 24
Braxton Dupree- 24
Greivis Vasquez- 16
Sean Mosley-16
Adrian Bowie- 16
Dave Neal- 12
Dino Gregory- 9
Jerome Burney- 7
David Pearman- 0
Steve Goins- 0
Observations:
-For the first quarter of the scrimmage, Williams put Hayes, Vasquez, Mosley, Milbourne and Dupree on the red team, and the other seven Terps on black. That red unit might be the most likely starting lineup for opening night, but Williams didn’t give any credence to that idea.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “It’s October. There’s no starting lineup in October, last I checked.”
-Eric Hayes really looked good out there. Whether he was playing point guard or shooting guard, he was constantly in control. Known as more of a shooter than a penetrator, Hayes got to the basket for some floaters and lay-ups. Finally one of the older guys on the team, Hayes is letting his experience really show.
-Cliff Tucker who led last scrimmage with 27 points had another big game Wednesday with 25 points. Tucker got a lot of those points in transition; he was dribbling the ball right at the defense and finishing strong. If these scrimmages are any indication of how Tucker will play during the regular season, we could see a huge point increase from the sophomore. He looks to be a very valuable scorer off the bench, but Tucker, who said “hopefully, I can step in and start, I’m just going to do whatever coach tells me,” isn’t afraid to reach for even bigger goals.
-Braxton Dupree’s 24-point, aggressive performance is encouraging, but Jerome Burney blocked his shots far too often. At 6-8, Dupree doesn’t have the ideal height for a center, but he has to use his body better to avoid getting being rejected so much.
-Williams ripped into the team at mid-court after the scrimmages, offering his players a profanity-laced speech. He didn’t seem happy with his guys, but in speaking with the media afterward, Williams didn’t want to admit any frustrations with his team.
“That’s why we don’t like you guys coming in here, because then you make judgments that I’m not pleased. I’m trying to get this team better. What you are in October isn’t what you’re going to be in January hopefully. Every day you’re trying different things, trying to motivate them in different ways.
“But to say I’m not satisfied or not happy. Why? Because I raised my voice.”
Yeah, that’s one indication. And the context of Williams’ words to his team is another hint that he was less than thrilled.
“This is your first and last warning,” Williams told his team after what he perceived to be uninspired play. “Losers stay the same!”
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Tags: scrimmage
I must have been watching a different scrimmage.
To me, Hayes looked like the sharpshooter he is but he didn’t impress me far beyond that. It looked like he was getting beat a lot straight up on defense, though he did make a couple nice plays jumping into the passing lane. And running the point looked a little rough. His passes didn’t seem very crisp and he made some poor choices in transition trying to force things.
Cliff Tucker is going to be the x-factor on this team. If Gary can find a combination to use him and Milbourne effectively, this team could create matchup problems running 3 or 4 talented smalls at a time.
I’m not settled on Dupree yet either. He needs to demand the ball. He can very easily turn into Lonny Baxter-esque. He just needs to realize he is capable. Burney also has a strong upside. I’m excited to watch him grow with the more PT he gets.
And lastly, in responding to Gary’s demeanor today: he is one of the greatest motivators in the history of college basketball and his ability to turn subpar players into talent speaks for itself. Therefore, I won’t be contesting him. Though, it’s got to be hard for the players having to play against eachother day in and day out. Hopefully the closed Temple scrimmage and the scrimmage next weekend will let them cut loose.
I didn’t go to the scrimmage. Based on what I saw last year, Hayes was constantly beaten playing defense on quicker, stronger guards. Also he could not penetrate to the basket. He was basically a spot-up shooter. He did not deserve to play as much as he did. Does anyone wonder why he only weighs 180 pounds and he is 6 foot 5? We have so many good young guards this year in Bowie, Tucker, and Mosley. I don’t think Hayes should start because of his poor defensive skills. He should be subbed in for the younger guys as just a shooter. Give the younger guys a chance. The only problem with taking Hayes out is that he is one of our two good ball-handlers (Vasquez is the other). You know we are not going to be able to break presses with just Vasquez. In conclusion, if bowie has gotten better at handling the ball there is no way Hayes should start unless Hayes has gotten a lot better in a summer of me not seeing him.
I am happy to see Dupree has gotten in better shape. I expect him to contribute and play equal time as Burney.
I think our team has a good chance of surprising some people and getting 4th or 5th in the ACC and making the NCAA tournament. I think our program is about to go back on the upswing. I can’t believe we are hoping for our team to make the NCAA tournament when just a few years ago we were trying to make the sweet 16 and pretty much guaranteed a NCAA tourney bid.