Greivis Vasquez’s graduation will leave a gaping hole at point guard for the Terps. Luckily, his possible replacement will be in attendance at tomorrow’s pivotal ACC matchup against Duke. Not on the court, or even on the bench, but in the stands.
No, the next Maryland point guard will not be a walk-on. Terps 2010 basketball recruit Pe’Shon Howard will be at the game, his second after attending Maryland’s victory over Florida State on Jan. 10. He called the atmosphere that night “crazy,” and says he “can’t wait” for the Duke game. He might don one of the gold rush t-shirts being given to students, he says.
Howard is hoping to wear Greivis’s number 21 next year, and wants to take over for Vasquez at the point as well.
The two players both play with high energy and passion, though Howard contests that he is more of a pass-first guard than Greivis. He also attests he doesn’t have any dance moves like Vasquez’s shimmy, but that his through-the-legs passes will have to suffice. According to Pe’Shon, a behind-the-head pass is in the works as well.
Maybe they play the game differently, but Howard was a dead ringer for Vasquez in the opening minutes of a January game Oak Hill played that was televised on ESPNU. After making a three-pointer for the first points of the game, Pe’Shon fired up his teammates by enthusiastically clapped his hands while wearing his number 21 Oak Hill uniform. It might not be the shimmy, but the tenacity is there.
If Howard isn’t the answer for the Terps at the point, maybe his friend Quinn Cook is. The 2011 DeMatha point guard, who Pe’Shon says is like his little brother, will be at the game as well.
Ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 4 PG of the 2011 class, Cook has garnered high praise. He also has a long list of teams interested in him ranging from Duke and UNC all the way to Kentucky and Kansas. Howard says that Cook doesn’t have a favorite at this point, and that he doesn’t like to talk recruiting with him. But in late January Cook attended Maryland’s victory over N.C. State. Later that week, he talked Terps with insideMDSports.com.
“Yeah, they’ve picked up their interest lately,” he told the site. “I talk to coach Rob [Ehsan] a lot more and I have talked to coach [Gary] Williams a few times. They have picked up their interest.”
ESPN has Cook as the No. 19 prospect of the 2011 class and offers the following analysis:
“Cook is a crafty quick tough competitor. He doesn’t have overwhelming physical tools but his instincts and toughness get the job done. Cook is very tough when the ball is in his hands and he has a great change of speed game, constantly keeping defenders from finding his rhythm. When his team was struggling to score he created offense with dribble penetration, getting to the basket for lay ups. Against zone defense he constantly split defenders and created shots for his teammates.”
When Howard committed in January, he promised that he would be doing some recruiting of his own. On his to-do list was bringing back Terrence Ross to Maryland, as well as recruiting Cooke, Tobias Harris and C.J. Leslie. Ross has seemingly disappeared back to his home state of Oregon, and Harris ended up at Tennessee while Cook is still in play. Leslie, as well as 2010 commit Mychal Parker, were both scheduled to attend the Duke game but couldn’t due to playoff games. Despite rumors that Josh Selby would be in attendance, his mother has clarified that he will not be at the game.