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!”

mseligdbk@gmail.com

Before the football game this afternoon, the men’s basketball team held an open scrimmage at Comcast Center. Here are the rosters and some observations.

Red: Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley, Cliff Tucker, Dino Gregory, Dave Neal, Steve Goins

Black: Adrian Bowie, Greivis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne, Jerome Burney, Braxton Dupree, David Pearman

-On paper it would seem like the black team (coached by Chuck Dreisell and Robert Ehsan) had the stronger half of the Terrapins roster, but the Keith Booth-led Red squad pulled away with an easy 78-65 victory.

-The teams played two 20-minute halves. Black led for most of the first half until a stretch when Red nailed four consecutive three-pointers. In the second half, Red’s Cliff Tucker and Eric Hayes continued their hot shooting and helped their team pull away.

-Tucker took a while to ease into the game, but once he got going, he was unstoppable. He hit some threes, slashed to the basket, and played a tremendous offensive game, while also keeping Vasquez fairly quiet on the defensive end.

“Cliff’s been playing well in practice,” coach Gary Williams said. “Last year he made some moves that were spectacular, but this season he seems to be more consistent with it.”

-Hayes vs. Bowie was the most intriguing matchup to watch. Though both played off the ball for much of last year, they were the respective point guards for their teams this afternoon, and both handled the task exceptionally well. Bowie’s shooting stroke is far improved from last season, and Hayes’ leadership shined through. If Hayes looks that confident on the court during regular season games, he could be poised for a huge season.

“I’ve been working hard on my offense and trying to shoot the ball well; I’ve been shooting a lot,” Hayes said. But Adrian is real quick and I’m not the quickest guy, so he was denying me the ball today and I was glad he was pushing me.”

-With Bowie manning the point, Vasquez played the “two.” This allowed Vasquez to get more open shots, but he was not hitting them today. Vasquez seems far more effective running the show as a point guard, where his passing and playmaking can shine through. He did have a number of turnovers, however. On three different occasions, Vasquez picked up an offensive foul. His coach reminded him that in a real game situation, those fouls would free up a seat for Vasquez on the bench.

- Sophomore Dino Gregory finished last season with a DNP-coach’s decision in the final 16 games. But with an open frontcourt this season, it’s hard to imagine him stationed on the bench for 40 minutes of any game this year. He’s far from a finished product–his mid-range shooting still needs a lot of work–but Gregory was a force on the boards, and used his exceptional athleticism to score some easy buckets. At 6-7, he’s a bit undersized for a post player, but his leaping ability can make up for some of that height.

-Jerome Burney didn’t provide much offensively, but he blocked a number of shots in the paint. That’s what he’ll be called upon to do this season for coach Williams.

-Braxton Dupree wasn’t outstanding, but the loss of weight made him look a lot more smooth on the court. Just by watching the pre-game lay-up line, you could tell that ‘Big B’ is approaching the rim with more ease and explosion.

-Williams reiterated that he would like to use Milbourne as a power forward this season, but for the majority of the scrimmage, he played on the wing, matched up against freshman Sean Mosley. Both players seemed to be in mid-season form, physically.

-The team will likely have another scrimmage open to the public towards the middle of next week. More information on that when the Terps announce an official time.

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