Gary Williams must be wondering if will ever again catch a break. Not anytime soon, it seems. Looking for a meaty offseason feature to sink her teeth into, ESPN.com's college basketball reporter Dana O'Neil chose the Maryland basketball program's alleged fall from grace as her target. Pass the salt and pepper.
"The Terps have made one NCAA tournament appearance in four years and have become the sort of once-in-a-season highlight team (see: upset of North Carolina, 2008; win at Duke, 2007) that feeds at the bottom of the ACC."
A "once in a season highlight team that feeds at the bottom of the ACC." Hmm. Well, we could take issue with that. Maryland was 10-6 in the ACC 2 seasons ago and last year they went 7-9, they've never been worse than 7-9 since the national championship and have never had a truly horrendous season. They certainly haven't been great, but they aren't 3-13 bottom feeders either. Another aspect of the article I don't like is that several of her sources are AAU coaches, who have the integrity of a bookie.
She goes on to point out the well chronicled succession of bad news coming out of the program of late, from its failure to land home-grown talent, to the revolving door of assistant coaches, and the whole mess with recent recruits Tyree Evans and Gus Gilchrist who became ex-Terps before they ever became Terps.
Sigh.
Suffice to say that James Gist's selection late in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs was the best news coming out of College Park hoops in more than a year. It remains to be seen if Gist will stick in the NBA, and Gary Williams' job security is as tenuous as it ever has been in 20 years in College Park.
My take -- lay off for a while people. Obviously things aren't peachy but they aren't that bad either. Is Maryland getting the nation's best recruits? No, but do you want the "one and done" guys? I don't. The Terps' first game is half a year away. Let the guy put a team on the court before you write him and his team off as finished.
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