Haas and Mathias Fuel Boilermakers to Win over Terps

College Park, MD – Seniors Isaac Haas and Dakota Mathias combined for 41 points, as Pudue (7-2, 1-0) opened up Big Ten play with an impressive win at Maryland (6-3, 0-1), 80-75. Mathias (6’4 200 Senior Shooting Guard) shined in the first half scoring 18 of his 20 points, while shooting a perfect seven for seven from the field, including four three-pointers. In the second half the giant Isaac Haas (7’2 290 Senior Center) took over. Haas had several key baskets in the paint and was just too much for Maryland to overcome late. Maryland did have a shot to tie with 14 second left, but Jared Nickens’ shot was just short to tie the game at 78.

P.J. Thompson (5’10 185 Senior Point Guard) then closed the game with two free throws. Amazingly Purdue received zero points from its bench in the game. With that said their senior laden lineup was more than enough.

Purdue proved to be the more experienced and better overall team tonight. Every time Maryland cut the lead Purdue would answer back with a run. That is a sign of composure and veteran leadership. Mathias showed his overall skills tonight. In the first half he showed his ability to score from deep. In the second half he was not a factor in scoring the ball, but he made sure to set his teammates up since Maryland was all over him. Mathias would use pump fakes to get defenders closing out on him to fly by and then he would penetrate and kick out to open shooters. He also showed his ability to defend. He was matched up on Kevin Huerter a lot and really limited his attempts and looks at the basket.

Although Huerter had a solid night Mathias was right there on him. Mathias finished with 20 points, four three-pointers, five rebounds and nine assists. The other large factor was Isaac Haas. When Haas received the ball in the post it was game over. His massive size and strength allowed him to get great position all night. He has a very dependable right hand hook and has surprisingly soft touch for a man his size. At one point Haas even made a turn around fade away jumper from about twelve feet. Haas is so large that it is tough for him to stay out of foul trouble at times. He managed to do so tonight only having two fouls and registering four blocked shots. Haas finished with 21 points, on 10 of 13 shooting, with five rebounds and four blocks.

The other starters for Purdue that contributed were NBA prospects Carsen Edwards (6’1 200 Sophomore Point Guard) and Vince Edwards (6’8 225 Senior Small Forward). Carsen is Purdue’s lightning rod on offense. He can get hot and fill it up in a hurry. He has a smooth jumper and a very quick release that allows him to get his shot off over bigger defenders. Carsen finished with 18 points and six rebounds. Vince is a solid overall player. He plays with a high basketball IQ on both ends of the floor. He can drive the lane or even step out and make an open three. On defense he has the versatility to guard players in the back court or the front court. Vince finished with ten points, eleven rebounds and four assists.

The other lone starter P.J. Thompson had eleven points and four rebounds.

For Maryland Anthony Cowan (6’0 170 Sophomore Point Guard) and Kevin Huerter (6’7 190 Sophomore Shooting Guard) did all they could to keep Maryland within striking distance. Cowan has continued to do his part to lead the young Terps from the point guard position. Cowan hit several big three’s including a four point play late in the game to draw closer, eventually letting Maryland have a shot to tie late. Cowan had 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and zero turnovers. Huerter impacted the game on both ends. He plays tough defense and has become more aggressive on the offensive end recently. Huerter is starting to develop into a leader for the young Terps and it shows with his confidence recently. He finished with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Two players that really struggled in the game were NBA prospect Justin Jackson (6’7 225 Sophomore Forward) and Darryl Morsell (6’4 205 Freshman Shooting Guard). Jackson has struggled with his three-point shot all season. He seems to be pressing. He is either too passive or he forces the issue. With the passers he has on his team he will continue to get open looks and should eventually break out of his slump. While Jackson is struggling on offense he still makes an impact on defense as well as rebounding. He finished with five points, on 1 of 8 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. Morsell had his worst shooting night of his young career. Purdue coach Matt Painter said in the post game press conference they were ok with slacking off some on the perimeter on Morsell to help in other places. This worked out just fine as he shot 3 of 16 on the night and 0 of 4 from three. Morsell had plenty of open looks, but also forced the issue in the lane quite often. These decisions led to blocks or ill-advised shots to end possessions. Morsell finished with nine points and three rebounds.

Highly touted big man Bruno Fernando had twelve points and seven rebounds. He struggled defending big man Isaac Haas at times, giving him too deep of position.

Next in Line

For Pudue – Home vs Northwestern Sunday

For Maryland – At Illinois Sunday

Cowan Leads His Terps Past Butler

College Park, MD – Anthony Cowan made sure everyone realizes this is now his team with Melo Trimble gone. Cowan led the Terps (3-0) to a 79-65 win over a scrappy Butler (2-1) team. This game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which is a series of games between the Big Ten and Big East teams.

Cowan (6’0 170) a super quick sophomore point guard, has some pretty big shoes to fill with Melo Trimble moving on to the pro’s. So far Cowan is delivering in impressive fashion averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He has an ability to get into the paint and draw contact at a high rate. Cowan was 12-15 from the free throw line on the night. When he wasn’t setting the offense or setting up his teammates he was chasing down loose ball rebounds or flying through the air to coral misses off the rim. Cowan impacted the game on three levels, offense, defense and rebounding. These are all quantifiable qualities a team leader can exemplify. His final stat line was 25 points, ten rebounds, five assists, two steals and only one turnover.

The two other players that provided Maryland with a spark were its two coveted freshman, Darryl Morsell (6’4 205) and Bruno Fernando (6’10 245).

Fernando is a ball of energy. Whether its diving on the floor for a lose ball, or challenging shots at the rim, he is someone his teammates feed off of for sure. Fernando has the physique of a pro already. He has great length and is built like a much more physically mature player, despite being just 19 years old. Fernando finished with eight points, four rebounds and one block in 20 minutes. Morsell impacted the game on defense more than any other player on the court. For much of the night when he was on the floor, he was matched up against NBA prospect and senior Kelan Martin (6’7 220). Morsell is a very physical player. He does not back down from anyone and plays with an edge that has been lacking for Maryland teams under coach Mark Turgeon. Morsell pressured the preseason all Big East player, on and off ball. At one point he pick pocketed the normally sure handed senior and took it the other way for a big two handed slam. On offense Morsell showed toughness as well. He is a very physical driver in the lane and also has the ability to hit the mid range jumper. Morsell had 13 points, two assists, two blocks and one big steal on the night.

For Butler the game did not quite go as planned. They struggled to take advantage of Maryland’s 20 turnovers. Butler seemed out of sync at times on offense and lost focus on defense several times. Although prized senior forward Martin struggled, there were a couple of bright spots for Butler. Kamar Baldwin (6’1 170), a sophomore point guard, was a nuisance on defense and took what the Terps gave him on offense. Baldwin is a tough guard one vs. one on the perimeter. He uses his quick first step and solid body control to penetrate to create scoring opportunities for his teammates and himself. Kamar only ended up going 6-21 from the field, but he showed promise for what he can bring to the table for the rest of the year for Butler. Kamar had 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block. The leading scorer for the Bulldogs was sophomore, shooting guard Sean McDermott (6’6 190). McDermott is a three-point specialist and has the length to get his shot off with hands in his face. McDermott has a smooth stroke and seems to find open spaces on the floor with regularity. He finished with 17 points, three rebounds and three three-pointers. Kelan Martin had twelve points and six rebounds in the contest.

There were many NBA scouts in attendance for this game. Most were probably interested in watching Justin Jackson (6’7 225) and fellow sophomore Kevin Huerter (6’7 190) for Maryland. Jackson struggled on offense, finishing with just four points. However, he did have eleven rebounds and played solid defense. Huerter struggled as well scoring just nine points and turning the ball over five times. Although it was not his best offensive game he still found a way to make an impact with five assists, seven rebounds and played solid defense.

Next up for Butler is Furman on Saturday

Next up for Maryland is Bucknell on Saturday

Maryland Starting 5 Scouting Reports

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Melo Trimble

Anthony Cowan

Kevin Huerter

Justin Jackson

Damonte Dodd

Scouting Report For The Maryland Terps Backcourt

The Maryland Terps Backcourt

Anthony Cowan and Melo Trimble

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Click on the word document below for the Anthony Cowan scouting report.

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Click on the word document below for the Melo Trimble scouting report.

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Maryland Completes Epic Comeback Against Georgetown

Maryland @ Georgetown

Maryland Completes Epic Comeback Against Georgetown

Washington D.C. – Maryland completed a seven point comeback with a little more than a minute left to play, with an emphatic block by freshman wing Kevin Huerter (6’7 190) at the rim, against Georgetown guard Jagan Mosely. The final was 76-75 in a game littered with fouls and sloppy play. Maryland held an early lead and the game ended up being tied 31 all at the half. The real story of the game was the officiating, which was poor to say the least. At half there was 29 total fouls and at the end of regulation there was 56! There was a lack of flow to the game clearly with all of the fouls, but the game itself was entertaining and competitive throughout.

For Georgetown this loss will be a tough one to swallow. Blowing a lead in the final minute is never easy let alone a seven point lead. Georgetown had several key turnovers at the end, a Rodney Pryor travel and a Tre Campbell stepping out of bounds. These turnovers kept Maryland alive and they capitalized. Rodney Pryor (6’5 205 SG) a graduate transfer from Robert Morris, scored 32 points against SC Upstate last week but struggled to get much going against Maryland. Pryor used his length to get in the lane, but made more of an impact from the perimeter making 3 of 6 from three. Pryor has the ability to score in bunches by using his driving ability and perimeter game to keep defenses honest. Other than scoring he does not provide much ability to get his teammates involved. Pryor finished with 14 points on 4 of 12 shooting and 3 of 6 from three, while getting six rebounds and two steals. Isaac Copeland (6’9 220 SF Jr.) showed an ability to score off the bounce attacking the lane often. Copeland is an intriguing prospect due to his size and versatility. He will need to become more of a consistent shooter to be effective at the next level. Copeland was extremely active on the glass using his length to keep balls alive on the offensive boards corralling six total. Copeland finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and 2 assists.

The player who started to take over for the Hoyas was L.J. Peak (6’5 215 SG Jr.). Peak had a very efficient game. He did not come on until the second half, but attacked the lane at will and drew fouls regularly. Peak’s strong frame allows him to take on contact while maintaining control and finishing scoring plays in the lane. If Peak shows more of an ability to make the three point shot he will have a shot to be a draft pick after his career. Peak finished with 21 points, one three pointer, 5 of 8 from the field, on 10 of 12 free throws with two rebounds in only 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

For a young Maryland team this was a huge confidence booster. Led by Melo Trimble (6’3 185 PG Jr.) the Terps stay composed and pulled out a tough road (albeit 17 miles from campus) win against an old rival. Trimble was quiet much of the first half until the second he looked like the Trimble of old. He has his explosive burst back when going by defenders. He doesn’t rely on his body shielding defenders off as much on drives like he use to. Now he just blows by them or uses his patented crossover dribble to shake them off. Trimble finished with 22 points on 7 of 9 free throws, with two assists. Majority of his points came by blowing by defenders for layups. The most impactful player for Maryland was Justin Jackson (6’7 225 F Fr.). Jackson has a ridiculous 7’3 wingspan and he uses all of it when playing defense and crashing the glass. Jackson was the steady offense during the game when the Terps looked to be struggling or fading from the Hoyas. Jackson showed an ability to stretch the floor hitting 3 of 5 three pointers, while also being able to put the ball on the floor and driving the lane. Jackson’s versatility will be a mismatch against a lot of teams especially if Maryland decides to play small ball. Jackson final stat line was 17 points, on 7 of 12 overall and 3 of 5 from three, as well as seven rebounds.

A couple other key performers for the Terps were Anthony Cowan (6’0 170 PG Fr.) and Kevin Huerter. Cowan had eleven points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Huerter finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

The Maryland and Georgetown rivalry needs to happen every year. The real question is will it. What do either team have to lose by scheduling each other. It’s one of the best areas in the country for basketball. Hopefully pride doesn’t get in the way of making it a tradition.

Up next for Georgetown is vs Arkansas St. on Thursday

Up next for the Terps is vs Saint Mary’s (MD) on Thursday