Big Ten Basketball – The Young Veteran

Game 8 of 37 – Terps fail to close the game against the Hokies and fall 62-58

Game 8 of 37 – Terps fail to close out the Hokies and fall 62-58.

#Terps #accmbb #Hokies
#B1Ghoops #b1gmbball #LenBias
#CBHOF

On a night where Maryland was honoring the late great Len Bias, for finally getting inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Terps yet again showed the same struggles that have plagued them early this season. The Terps shot 1-13 from three. That literally could be the end of the story of this game. Because nowadays if you only make one three you probably lose 95% of the games (don’t fact check me, I just made that up). Maryland also added 15 turnovers. Not all turnovers are created equal. A lot of these were forced passes trying to run the fast break. Now, Maryland seems to be best suited to play fast, but they desperately need to build some continuity to do so.

Virginia Tech played solid most of the game. The game was close throughout. The biggest lead for both teams was seven. When Maryland went up by seven around midway left of the second half the Hokies turned it on. Hunter Cattoor hit several huge three’s in the second half ended with four on the night to go along with 12 points, three assists and two steals. Cattoor provides steady defense and the ability to knockdown three’s at over 40%. He stepped up huge on a night where Storm Murphy went scoreless.

The front court of Keve Aluma and Justyn Mutts is what really provided the difference for the Hokies. Though a bit undersized, Aluma and Mutts are versatile and mobile big men. They can both step out and hit an outside jumper, or even play the dribble hand off or two man game. They struggled with Qudus Wahab in the paint, but Wahab has size and length on them. Wahab did get into foul trouble which Va Tech took advantage of. Aluma dominated the glass getting twelve rebounds and finishing with a team high 17 points. Mutts is an athletic combo forward. He can post up and use his length and strength, or spot up from the outside. He is a tough overall defender with a lot of versatility as well.

The Hokies impressed me overall. They lack height, but the play with toughness on both ends of the floor. They also can shoot the three ball. And like I said you see how important that is nowadays.

For the Terps, Qudus Wahab had a solid game. While he still shoots a little off balanced of fading away in the post, he is still very effective with his size and soft touch. He will need to improve his quick twitch or explosiveness to really have the same success in the post at the next level. The main problem Wahab will have all season seems to be staying out of foul trouble. He commits silly fouls or has simple lacks of concentration at times on defense. Wahab finished with a game high of 18 points and seven rebounds.

Donta Scott and Hakim Hart had okay games. Hart probably the better, even with rushing his last shot which was a triple screen around the top of the three point arc to tie the game. Had he took his time, he was wide open. Scott and Hart need to keep aggressive looking to score. Russell and Ayala had nothing going for them. Scott finished with eleven points and seven rebounds. Hart finished with ten points.

Another very clear way to say the Terps lost just by looking at the box score is Eric Ayala and Fatts Russell combined to go 3-19 from the field and 0-6 from three. This may have been the worst I’ve ever seen Ayala play. The Hokies were extremely physical with him on defense. Ayala, who is normally very aggressive at attacking the basket just never got there. He would pull up or shoot a very bad fadeaway shot. He was forcing the issue. Russell same thing. Too much 1v1, dancing with the ball just to settle for a step back 25 footer.

On a night where Len Bias was honored, the Terp fans and students left very disappointed.

Up next for me is Long Island University SHARKS!!! vs Towson

Game 6 of 37 Hofstra @ Maryland – Maryland surges late to a comeback win 69-67

Maryland surges late to beat Hofstra 69-67, as Martinez hits winning free throws.

#CAAHoops #B1G

Maryland has scheduled some tough mid majors to start their season. Quinnipiac, George Washington, Vermont, George Mason and Hofstra. All of those teams should finish in the top half of their respected conferences. With all that said Maryland has struggled with all of them, but Quinnipiac.

Hofstra took the Terps to the brink and had a chance to win the game with a shot multiple times. The execution just wasn’t there. Omar Silverio was blocked by Eric Ayala and subsequently fouled Ian Martinez on the loose ball deflection. Martinez knocked down both free throws, and after a couple of timeouts and fouls, Fatts Russell stole the final in bounds pass to end the game.

Ian Martinez hitting go ahead free throws

Hofstra plays small ball. This forced Turgeon’s hand at not even playing Qudus Wahab the entire second half. It looks to me Maryland is best built to play fast and uptempo, then pick and choose when to enter Wahab into the picture.

Jalen Ray for Hofstra was hitting contested three’s from all over the court. He is quick with the ball and showed the ability to penetrate and find the shooters on the perimeter. A career 39% shooter from deep, Ray is someone that will be heavily relied on all season. He finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and went 5-12 from three.

Zach Cooks is Hofstra’s other star player. He is in his fifth season (crazy even typing those words out) playing the previous four at NJIT. He is a flat out scorer. He can make the three, pull up from mid range and create space for himself with ease. Just super quick off the dribble. While he didn’t have a great night shooting the ability is very clear. I wish he would attack the lane more instead of all the jumpers, but maybe he knew the size of Maryland would be waiting on him. Cooks finished with 13 points and four assists.

As far as Maryland goes. Everyone chipped in a little bit here and there. The two guys that stepped up big time to me were Ian Martinez and Julian Reese. Reese has great hands and a soft touch around the rim. He fit the uptempo undersized style much better than Wahab, therefore he got more minutes. He still needs to work on his lower body strength, and the Big Ten bigs will surely test him early. He has a silky smooth mid range jumper and shows the potential to knockdown an open three. Reese had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Ian Martinez was the X factor in this game. While he is still learning as a decision maker and taking questionable shots, he stepped up when others struggled to make plays. Martinez is a good athlete. Has the ability to create off the bounce. He is also a tough and versatile defender. Stepping up and hitting those two clutch free throws with just four seconds left should be huge for his confidence moving forward. Martinez is instant energy off the bench and its a role he looks very comfortable with. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Up next for me is American @ UMBC on Tuesday.

Game 5 of 37 George Mason embarrasses Maryland in College Park

George Mason embarrasses Maryland in College Park 71-66

#A10MBB #RockWithUs #B1G #B1GMBBall #Terps

Coming into this game I was very intrigued to see how Mason was going to handle playing in College Park…. on a big stage…. with first year head coach Kim English. Well, they definitely answered any questions I may have had by handing the Terps their first loss in a very demoralizing fashion. Mason won 71-66.

Mason had three guys I wanted to see specifically. Jamal Hartwell II, DeVon Cooper and D’Shawn Schwartz.

Hartwell is a very slender and small point guard. Has some quickness and burst, but unless he is wide open for a three, he’s not much of a scoring threat. Hartwell basically just provided a ball handler that was steady.

DeVon Cooper is a solid all around guard. He can handle the ball. Score off the bounce, or see the open man on the perimeter. Very tough defender and extremely aggressive. Every time Maryland tried to drive the lane or feed a big man there were multiple Patriots surround and digging at the ball. Cooper was the perfect compliment to Schwartz in this game. Both players can create their own shots and made tough contested jumpers as well. Cooper finished with 16 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Schwartz with the ball at the top of the three point line

Schwartz was the best player on the court. I watched him in warmups before the game and no lie he missed maybe one jumper the whole time I was watching. I thought to myself, we’ll see if this can carry over. Its one thing to make open shots in warmups….. But Schwartz was on one this game. He made 6-1o from three and hit literally every clutch shot he took. Very intriguing prospect to keep tabs on. He has a strong pro ready body at 6’7 235. Flat out scorer at all three levels. He was making three’s, mid range pull ups and he can score in the lane also. Schwartz finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, six made three’s and three steals.

Two other players of note were Davonte Gaines and Josh Oduro. I remember seeing Coach English trying to convince Oduro to stay at Mason, on Twitter throughout the summer. Good thing he did. Oduro provides that true low post scoring threat that balances the rest of the team out. He has very good footwork. He used his pivot feet masterfully several times to score at the rim. Especially one in the closing seconds of the game. Oduro is still developing his shooting range, but his stroke looks solid and I think that will come in time. Gaines did a little bit of everything. Chipped in big time as a rebounder with ten. He also had 2 three’s and a total of 14 points.

And now to Maryland. This will be brief. Mason deserves the majority of this post. Maryland wasn’t prepared. Stagnant on offense. They gave effort on defense, but just weren’t good enough. They just flat out got beat. Coach Turgeon had many comments about the game on the radio when I was driving back home. He mentioned no ball movement, bounces not going there way, the bad practice the day before. There was a lot of things said. He also said the fans need to show up because their playing good teams and need them. I thought that was interesting to mention that after a loss like this to say the least.

Early first half crowd. It didn’t fill much more than that after either.

,Now he’s not wrong about the attendance. I just thought that wasn’t the time to say it. But to each his own I guess.

Donta Scott and Julian Reese were the two best players for Maryland. Scott kept them close throughout the game. He hit mid range and three point jumpers, as well as providing solid help defense. His athleticism has really improved with his quickness and leaping ability. He looks in way better shape this year. Scott finished with 18 points, ten rebounds, one steal and one block. Reese looked way better this game than previously. He was more decisive. He played physical, drew fouls in the post. He also hit a three pointer and looked comfortable doing so. Reese needs to play more and get involved more early to get him going. Very skilled low post threat with soft touch. JuJu finished with twelve points and three rebounds.

Although Ayala hit two three’s to bring the Terps within three under a minute left, he still struggled shooting overall. He has to improve his consistency. Ayala is at his best attacking the lane and using his strength and body control. That will setup everything else for him. Even making 5-12 from three, he finished 6-17 total and attempted zero foul shots. Thats not his recipe for success. Eric finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Nobody else did anything of note for the Terps.

Up next for me is Hofstra @ Maryland on Friday

Game 3 of 37 Vermont @ Maryland

Game 3 of 37

Maryland has a huge second half to beat Vermont 68-57

Everyone knows how consistent Vermont is as a program. Constantly in the top three at least in the America East. John Becker has nine straight 20 win seasons. They are the epitome of a dangerous “mid major” program. No surprise they gave Maryland everything they could handle on Saturday. Maryland eventually pulled away to win 68-57. After a big second half.

Vermont plays eight seniors. Yes, you read that correctly. Eight. Their top guy is guard Ben Shungu. Shungu is a strong guard at 6’2 200. Being the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the America East, maybe one wouldn’t expect so much on offense. However (Stephen A. Smith voice), he is a very well rounded player. He hit several tough jumpers with hands in his face. He was hitting from mid range and from three. He had 20 points at half and single handedly was the reason Vermont had a four point lead. Shungu struggled to make more of an impact in the second half as Maryland upped their defensive intensity. The senior finished with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals and went 4-6 from three. He definitely caught my attention and I will be keeping close tabs on him.

The other senior that caught my eye and showed offensive versatility was Isaiah Powell. Powell has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get into the lane. He plays under control and has solid footwork. Powell keeps the defense honest with the ability to knock down the three ball as well. Athletically he is average, but plays with a savvy that makes up for it. High IQ player with good vision on offense. Solid overall defender as well. Powell was really the only other scoring option Vermont had going other than Shungu. He finished with 14 points, eleven rebounds and three assists.

Vermont’s other star player is Ryan Davis. Davis struggled making any impact on offense. He had many open mid range opportunities, but instead of a jumper or going up strong he would do a weird floater from the baseline. He seemed bothered by Maryland length and athleticism. He didn’t have his best game thats for sure scoring just 8 points on 3-12 shooting. Davis also didn’t have much of a impact on the glass with just three rebounds. He will bounce back for sure, but I was expecting more. Especially being the Player of the Year in the America East last season.

For the Terps today was about Fatts Russell and Eric Ayala. Russell took over down the stretch. He hit a lot of contested looks. Some probably ill-advised, but today they went in so who knows. Russell is still at his best playing in transition and attacking the rim. He showed why he was a coveted transfer today though. He can score in bunches and plays very tough defense. I would like to see him create more for others, but maybe that will come in time. Russell finished with 22 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Ayala seemed to finally get his shooting stroke back in the second half. He was in a battle all game with the final Duncan brother (at least I think!) Robin. They were going at it all day. Playing physical, getting in each others faces. Neither backed down. It was fun to watch actually. Of course the Maryland fans enjoyed chanting “F*** you Duncan!”, literally every time he touched the ball. Ayala is the leader and emotional leader of the Terps. He needs to keep his confidence high because others lean on him for that. Ayala finished with 22 points.

One other thing of note is Qudus Wahab really struggled with the double team today. He needs to be more decisive and make a move or pass out. He lost the ball or made off target passes too often. Vermont did a solid job of blitzing him right away or delaying it. Wahab was held to six points, eight rebounds, two blocks in 22 minutes.

Expect Vermont to win the America East or make the championship in the conference. Anything less than that I would be very surprised.

Up next for me Hampton @ Towson on Tuesday.

Game 2 of 37 George Washington @ Maryland

Maryland wins a tough one against local rival George Washington

Maryland had their hands full from the get go. Personally, I thought GW would hang around for a bit, but then Maryland would pull away with their size and depth. It looked like that was beginning to happen until James Bishop’s jumpers finally started falling. Maryland almost blew a late twelve point lead in the final five minutes. GW got as close as 66-64, until Maryland finally won 71-64. Hats off to GW they played very well. Maryland still has to figure out how all of their pieces fit.

Ricky Lindo Jr. came back to College Park on a mission. The senior played extremely well. He showed his skills more consistently throughout the game than when he was a terp. Lindo can do a little bit of everything. Has a decent handle, good length, versatile defender and has been developing his three point shot as well. Lindo finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two rebounds, two blocks and shot 3-5 from three. If he didn’t get into foul trouble who knows how this game could’ve went. Connecticut transfer Brendan Adams also had a solid game. He started fast and eventually tapered off to let Joe Bamisile carry the load. Adams was super tough driving the lane. He takes contact well and plays tough defense. He finished with 14 points and four rebounds.

The star of the night was Joe Bamisile. Bamisile was fun to watch. Honestly, I haven’t seen many guys go at the crowd like he did. If it we’re packed in the stands (which once again it was no where near it) The booing and “Joe you suck” chants would’ve been deafening. Bamisile delivered though. Hitting jumpers free throws and lay ins. All while egging the crowd on. He also had a nice windmill dunk on a breakaway. The Virginia Tech transfer finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. James Bishop struggled shooting big time. Fatts Russell did a nice job annoying him and forcing him to take very tough jumpers. He had a late flurry of baskets and finished with 13 points on 5-16 from the field and 0-5 from three.

This is a game where Maryland should’ve dominanted by even more in the paint. Qudus Wahab was having his way in the first half, but I guess the terps forgot that. He only played 24 minutes and just didn’t seem to get the ball enough. With that said he finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks. Feed the big man.

Fatts Russell had a solid night, and helped pick up the slack for the poor outside shooting. Maryland was 3-20 from three. Ayala was 0-6. This was probably an anomaly shooting wise, but time will tell. Russell may be one of the fastest and quickest players I’ve seen on the court with the ball. He has a knack for making tough layups and draws fouls with ease. On defense he was solid again. Shutting Bishop down for majority of the game. Russell finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Donta Scott never really seemed to get in the flow of the game. Lindo did a solid job on him, but he still had seven points and ten boards.

Hakim Hart is a glue guy. Doesn’t do anything to hurt the team, but does a lot of little things that add up. He makes correct passes, plays tough defense and can score an occasional bucket if need be. Hart finished with nine points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.

The Colonials are going to be a lot better than people think. They have solid guards. The big problem will be lack of depth and size.

Up next for me is Game 3 of 37 Vermont @ Maryland on Saturday.

Game 1 of 37 Quinnipiac @ Maryland

We’re back!!! Finally college basketball is back. I haven’t been able to attend a college game in person since March 8, 2020 when Maryland beat Michigan to share the Big Ten title with Michigan State and Wisconsin.

I was pretty surprised however with the lack of attendance. Yes, I know we are still pushing through the pandemic and all of that. But, it was still surprising to me. I guess it will come in time.

Well this game featured a Maryland team ranked #21 with some expectations of making a deeper run into March. They got senior transfer guard Fatts Russell from Rhode Island and junior center Qudus Wahab from Georgetown. Both will provide different options that the Terps clearly didn’t have last season.

Maryland had their way with Quinnipiac all night for the most part winning 83-69.

Russell is a lightning fast guard at 5’11 165 pounds. He looked like he may have bulked up some as well. Russell provided a few scoring bunches on breakaways or from attacking from the perimeter. His first step is explosive and fast. However, the question will be his outside shooting. He’s a tough defender and moves his feet extremely well. A real pest on ball. He finished with 12 points and 4 assists.

Wahab is 6’11 and 240 pounds. He looks every bit of a traditional 5. He has the ability to hit from mid range and looks comfortable doing so. He is strong in the post, but I would like to see him keep the ball higher more consistently. He also tends to fade a lot when taking jumpers while backing an opponent down. With that said, he was making them but I would like to see him more on balance. Wahab finished with 17 points, six rebounds and 2 blocks.

Quiinipiac’s stars of the game were junior shooting guard Matt Balanc (no not Matt LeBlanc, doubtful Joey has hops like Balanc) and senior shooting guard Tyrese Williams.

Balanc is already up for dunk of the year as he absolutely destroyed Russell on a breakaway. Russell sized him up and Leblanc definitely got the better of him. Balanc also showed an ability to get shots off and attack the basket at will. He will be someone to keep an eye on for sure. He finished with 25 points, three rebounds and five steals.

Williams, who struggled shooting last season, looked very comfortable last night. He was pulling up from very deep and looked solid in the catch and shoot situations as well. Would like to see more versatility on offense. More aggressiveness towards the rim, but maybe that will come later this season. Williams finished with 19 points and went 5-9 from three.

Other players I was interested in seeing like Eric Ayala and Xavier Green made impressions as well. Ayala is a scoring combo guard. He will be leaned on heavily to score and he should deliver this season in my opinion. I like his game, but want to see if he can get others involved more and step up his defense as well. Green looked every part of a versatile wing defender. That will be his role on Maryland.

For Quinnipiac senior center Kevin Marfo struggled. He’s an undersized big at 6’8 245. He struggled with Wahab and Julian Reese’s length inside. Of course he makes sure he rebounds and did the little things, but he was blocked several times at the rim. One thing that stood out to me was his ball handling and passing as a big. I wasn’t expecting that. Marfo finished with two points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The other player was senior G/F Jacob Rigoni. The Australian native is Quinnipiac’s all time leader in three pointers made. Consistent shooter, and when he actually attacks the lane he is a crafty finisher. He struggled shooting going 1-8 from three in this game. That was more of anomaly. This is by far his best skill. He finished with seven points, three rebounds and three assists.

Of course I am mostly interested in watching the Senior’s due to my scouting service But If ever interested I can provide my perspective on other players as well.

On to the next game which is George Washington @ Maryland on Thursday night.

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 16 – Michigan vs Maryland

March 3 – Michigan vs Maryland

Lucky me. Once again I was blessed with the opportunity to sleep in. Remember, I went to sleep at like 2 a.m. My wife got up with the kids probably around 9 a.m. I slept until 11:20 or so. Now, once you have kids you never sleep straight through the night. It’s impossible. There is an internal clock that is always going off at random times. This could be for a number of reasons. I blame it on the times of waking up at 4 to 4:30 to give the kids a bottle; or, when I worked at a liquor distributor and had to wake up around the same time. Nevertheless, I slept in! I woke up and had a shower. I ate some potato soup with the family, and proceeded to watch “The Kitchen”, on Food Network. Look….. I either watch sports or food shows. That’s what I live by. You can judge however you want.

I left for the game at 2:15, for the 3:45 tip in College Park. Well it started sleeting basically. So I-295 was a lot of fun. People really can’t drive in any type of weather. It could be too windy, too cold, too hot, too sunny or too dark. It doesn’t matter people suck at driving, especially in this area. I picked up my credential at a location on campus and then parked in the parking garage. The walk was about five minutes or so to the arena. I have arrived. I grabbed a water, two cheeseburger sliders, some tortilla chips, and then made my way to my seat. I was just happy that I was in the building. Keith Sneddon, a communications director for men’s basketball for the University of Maryland, squeezed me in. It was much appreciated. It was Maryland’s 100 years of basketball celebration. There was a ton of legends in the building. Gary Williams, Tom McMillen, Steve Blake, Drew Nicholas, Lonny Baxter, Tony Massenburg, and Melo Trimble just to name a few. It was a huge game and nationally televised. Michigan had their own celebration planned.

The game was pretty back and forth throughout. Michigan eventually took the lead for good midway into the second half. They started making some three’s late and that is what put the terps away. The crazy part about this game was that both teams starting five’s scored in double figures. Ignas Brazdeikis was the player that Maryland struggled with the most. At 6’7 215, he showed an ability to attack the rim and draw contact, or pull up for jumpers. Darryl Morsell just couldn’t do enough to stop him. Iggy beat him off the dribble regularly. Iggy fed into the crowd big time. They were chanting “you are ugly”, during foul shots. Mark Turgeon had the PA announcer tell the students not to do that cheer. They listened, but were still booing and verbally going at him all game. Iggy was blowing kisses and acted like they weren’t loud enough. He finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. The big Jon Teske had the task of slowing down Bruno Fernando. He made Bruno work and was a real obstacle for Bruno down low. Teske is developing his jump shot and starting to add some range to it. He made one three pointer out of six attempts, but the potential is there. He needs to add some lift and arc to his shot to do so. Zavier Simpson is a player that was transported from like 1940. He is a throwback point guard. Zavier is a past first guard and a lockdown defender. He rarely looks to score. When he does score it’s likely from a running hook shot to the right side of the basket. Now this hook shot is not Kareem’s. Kareem would catch the ball in the post, maybe make a move or dribble and go up. Simpson is literally driving from the perimeter to a specific spot and then kissing the ball high off the glass. It’s some crazy muscle memory voodoo going on there. Like seriously, how much has he shot that shot? (Patrick Ewing reference). Simpson made like three or four in the game and they were all clutch shots near the end of a shot clock.

To me the game was attainable for Maryland. The one player that they really ride or die by struggled mightily. Anthony Cowan could not buy a bucket. He was 4-15 from the field and 1-7 from three. That is not going to get it done. He also had 4 turnovers and four fouls. It just wasn’t his day. Bruno was effective like his usual self. He had twelve points, ten rebounds and six blocks. No shot is safe around him in the paint. He can cheat and be exposed in the post at times though. Overall Maryland just didn’t play disciplined enough on defense. They were bad in the pick and roll with Simspon, and Iggy just cut them up on drives.

After the game I debated going to the press conference, but it was about 6 p.m. on a Sunday and I had pizza waiting for me at home! I met up with my Dad to give him a ride back to his vehicle back at our church in Glen Burnie. He rode to the game with a group that goes to Maryland games from our church, Faith Baptist Church. We walked to the garage on campus, waited a solid 15 minutes to get out of it and then waited another 15 minutes to get off campus. After all of this and talking about the game with my dad on the ride home, I arrived at my house around 7:35. This big basketball weekend for me was capped off with some truffle fries, pizza and whiskey and coke. SOLID WEEKEND.

Side Note – Red Panda was the halftime entertainment. ELECTRIC CITY.

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 10 – Wisconsin vs Maryland

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 10

January 14 – Wisconsin vs Maryland

I got off work the same time as normal, around 3 ish. I ran home really quick and then had to head off to a doctor’s appointment at 4 p.m. I hate going to the doctor’s like everyone else. I especially hate going to the doctor’s when they don’t call you into the back to see you until literally 5 p.m. So yes, the wait was an entire hour.…… We didn’t leave until like 5:35. After the appointment the wife and I picked up the little ones from her parents, we stopped by Royal Farms for gas and an 8 piece of chicken, mac and cheese and western fries with cheese and then finally we went home. Luckily the game was not until 8:30.

I left my house at 6:30 to head to College park. I picked up my credential and parking pass from the hotel on campus and zig-zagged through the back of campus to the garage, which is roughly a half mile from the arena. Not a big issue. I don’t mind walking. It was just tough because of the ice everywhere. I walked like a 75 year old with two replaced hips, just to make sure I didn’t eat it. Being a 27 year old that’s had 3 knee surgeries, 2 slipped discs in my back, 2 kids and I’ve been married for almost 8 years…… I feel like a 75 year old anyway.

The game started out very bad for the Badgers of Wisconsin. Maryland dominated the first half. They were more aggressive on offense and defense. They held Wisconsin to just 15 points and they were 0-8 from three. Only three players scored. Ethan Happ had 6, Brad Davison had 5 and D’mitrik Trice had 4. For Maryland Bruno Fernando had success in the paint. When he was doubled he would find the open man. He has vastly improved his patience in the post since last season. He still has some moments, but this game was solid. Eric Ayala had a solid half with 8 points and a couple of three-pointers. Jalen Smith had an active 7 points and 5 rebounds. Good start for Maryland as they built a 33-15 halftime lead.

The second half was much of the same early. Maryland went up by as much as 21 points. Like I said…. it was early. Then came the onslaught of three-pointers from Wisconsin. Wisconsin made eleven in the second half. Trice made three, Davison made two and Nate “Big Shot-Big Balls” Reuvers made four. Trice and Reuvers were a nightmare for Maryland in the pick and roll. Fernando was out with foul trouble for majority of the second half and Maryland didn’t have an answer on defense for the pick and pop combo. On offense Maryland stopped playing inside and out without Bruno. They ended up just scoring a ton from the free throw line. Wisconsin actually took the lead late 60-59 with two minutes left. They completed the comeback. It seemed like Maryland would just flounder away and just lose it totally in the end. They went on about a ten minute span without a made field goal in the second half. Then with a flair for the dramatic Anthony Cowan made a deep three-pointer with under a minute left to take the lead back 62-60. Maryland would go on to win 64-60.

Cowan would finish with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists. He also had five turnovers. Sometimes he is just a little wild in the lane. For Wisconsin, “Big Shot-Big Balls” Reuvers had 18 points, seven rebounds. He had two wide-open shots from deep in the last couple of possessions to take the lead but they just didn’t fall. Reuvers was playing out of his mind. I enjoyed watching him hype himself up he drain three after three.

SIDE NOTE – After the press conference, I made the long icy trek back to the garage to my vehicle. I listened to some Sirius XM radio on the way home. As I approached my house, Margaritaville by Jimmy was playing. I then proceeded to eat some fried chicken and cheese fries before going to bed a 12:45 a.m. Amazingly, it was a very good decision. My stomach felt fine at 5:45 the next morning.

The Life of a Freelance Scout

The Life of a Freelance Scout- Game 8

Seton Hall vs Maryland

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 8

December 22 – Seton Hall vs Maryland

I left my house around 3:30 for a 5:30 tip-off. My morning consisted of waking up at 6:30 on a Saturday…. Already not ideal. The flooring company came to put in our new lvt flooring in the basement and hardwood in the living room. I was not fully prepared. I was unaware that I would have to pull-up all my surround sound wiring in my man cave in the basement. I was not too happy. I still have not set that back up haha. So, hopefully this toilet flooding fiasco is behind us now. I’m sure you will be happy if there’s no more updates on that front. During this time frame I dropped off some Christmas stocking donations that my wife was able to fundraise through her job and give them to Sarah’s House, which is a homeless mission that helps house the unfortunate. I also watched the Goonies with the wife and kids and made a last second run to McDonald’s. Pretty interesting Saturday overall.

I arrived at the game around 4:45 or so. Traffic wasn’t too bad. Weird timing for a Saturday game, but I guess since it was close to the holidays it made some sense. I was hoping for a solid meal, but ended up eating some chips and salsa. Which is fine….. Once again can’t complain about free food.

The game was pretty competitive. It was back and forth most of the time. Maryland led by 4 at half, 34-30. In the second half Seton Hall dropped 48, on a Maryland squad that seemed to pride itself on defense. The final was 78-74 Seton Hall with a big W. Myles Powell for Hall is a legit problem. His isolation game is at a different level than any player on the court. He has an explosive burst to him, a deadly crossover dribble to keep defenders off balance. Once he gets by the defender he draws a lot of contact and can finish through it. He gets to the foul line over 6 times a game and currently shoots 87%. That’s a winning formula right there. The other bright spot for the pirates was Myles Cale. Cale was very good. He went off for 23 points and was 3-4 from three-point land. He was very aggressive. He has a strong build at 6’6 210. He can spot up or take the ball to the basket. Has some length that allows him to get his shot off against taller interior defenders. Between the two of them they scored 50 points and went 16-16 from the foul line…… Once again that is a winning formula.

Maryland was led by its two big fellas, Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith. Fernando scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half. Seton Hall did a good job blitzing him with double teams in the second half forcing him to pass. Fernando is still developing his feel on offense when it comes to passing out of double teams. He has made some strides recently. Smith had 14 points and 8 rebounds on the day. Smith just doesn’t get involved enough. The guards for the Terps need to take advantage of these two big men. Both are future NBA bigs and it would be a shame to waste that talent. Fernando and Smith should be touching the ball every possession, but that is definitely not the case.

I was sitting next to an Eastern Conference NBA scout during the game. We chatted about the lack of “identity” on Maryland’s part on offense. How they avoid using their big men to their advantage. I told him that they don’t always play on the court at the same time as well. He was pretty dumbfounded by that. Especially since Fernando and Smith compliment each other well. Fernando is a force in the post and Smith has the ability to hit an occasional three-pointer. We both agreed that basketball is a simple game, yet it seems players, coaches and whoever else seem to complicate things that are very straight forward. PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS. DO WHAT YOU DO WELL. DON’T PLAY THE WAY YOU OPPONENT PLAYS.

SIDE NOTE – During halftime of the game I was watching the Redskins and Titans game. It was a huge game for both teams who were trying to stay in playoff contention. Of course the Redskins threw a late pick and ended their chances. I am a Ravens fan so I was rooting for the Titans to lose to help us out. Not so fast. Blaine Gabbert to the rescue for an injured Marcus Mariota.

I left the Maryland game a few minutes early to get home to see the Ravens play the Chargers at 8:20. Nothing like Saturday night football around the Holidays. I sped down I-295 as fast as legally possible! Yeah it’s possible to legally speed. Around Maryland/DC anything within 7mph over the speed limit is acceptable. Any more than that and you are playing with fire (everyone does on the Baltimore/DC beltway). I was excited, my wife Kelly was making buffalo chicken dip. I called her on the way home and little did I know we were out of buffalo sauce and had no chips…… So, I had to stop at Food Lion on the way home. It was worth it as the Ravens smashed the Chargers. Phillip Rivers is the most entertaining QB of all-time. His reactions to every penalty or lack thereof is just great entertainment. God bless his wife as she is pregnant with their 9^th child! The Ravens now sit in the driver seat to make the playoffs and win the AFC North over their rival the Steelers.

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 6 & 7

The Charm City College Classic
Morgan State vs Towson
Loyola Chicago vs Maryland
#charmcityclassic #theyoungveteran

The Life of a Freelance Basketball Scout – Game 6 & 7

December 8 – The Charm City College Classic

Morgan State vs Towson & Loyola Chicago vs Maryland

Being a forward thinker I asked my wife to drop me off and pick me up from this event in downtown Baltimore at the Royal Farms Arena or The Chicken Box, as some people say. Pretty self explanatory there….. The arena is shaped like a box and Royal Farms sells chicken (you’re welcome to all the slower thinkers out there). I did not want to deal with parking in the city and paying anything either. The other option was to take the light rail from Glen Burnie to Baltimore. It doesn’t cost much, but it’s a process to park there and load and wait and do it all again to leave, then get back in my vehicle to drive home. It’s much easier when you have capable loved ones willing to help out (thanks Kell, Winnie and Junior).

So the even was extremely well run by Charm City Charities. Checkout charmcitycharities.org They are a non-profit organization that looks to help the local youth by providing academic support, athletic training, overall wellness and mentorship.

I see this event really growing in the next few years. Maybe they can get a two-day tournament out of it. Maybe a whole weekend. Get 8 local teams, not including Maryland, because I doubt they would agree. A lot of the local teams play each-other anyway so why not do it all in one weekend and make some magic happen for the city of Baltimore. One of these days Maryland could have a showcase game at like 8 p.m. vs a Virginia, Villanova, West Virginia or someone who is somewhat local to draw a good crowd.

Shout out to BJ Smith, who is the starting shooting guard for the DMV Warriors of the ABA. This is the local pro team in Maryland that I scout for. BJ is an entrepreneur. He has his own clothing line, does tattoos, wellness and health products etc. He was volunteering with Charm City Charities to help organize and contribute to the event. His website is beyondthebasicbrand.com

It was also good to meet local media and college basketball fanatic Stephen Hiegel. He is a good guy and just started his website last season. His website is JustCollegeBasketball.com

The first game was Morgan State vs Towson. Two pretty contrasting styles of play. Towson is very methodical and a bit clunky at times on offense. That seems to be there identity recently. They are a very physical team, but lack in playmaking ability for teammates. Morgan State is a smaller, yet feisty team. They play around 10-12 guys, with 8 of those getting pretty significant minutes. Coach Todd Bozeman will not hesitate to chew one of his guys out and yank him out of the game real quick.

Towson played a decent first half. They attacked the basket well and got to the foul line. They controlled the tempo and flow of the game. The second half was a different story. Morgan employed a full court press and that gave Towson fits. They couldn’t handle it. Towson has lacked point guard depth the past few years. Tobias Howard had 6 turnovers of his own and he is the Tigers only true point guard. Morgan did a great job pressuring the ball. This was led by senior, point-guard Martez Cameron. Cameron is the engine for Morgan. He keeps things flowing and under control. They like to play fast and he is the one steady veteran presence to make sure the chaos is organized. Cameron had 14 points on the day, but his presence was felt more than just that. Freshman guard Sherwyn Devonish-Prince Jr. led both teams with 19 points. Prince is a scorer. That’s what he does and that’s all he looks to do. He can pass a little but he is not developed in that area yet. For Towson junior shooting guard Brian Fobbs was the brightest spot. He is a cold-blooded scorer. He is a big-bodied physical guard that can bully his way to the basket or step out and hit the three. Fobbs will fare very well in the Colonial Athletic Association for Towson.

The second game was Maryland vs the Fighting Sister Jean’s or Loyola Chicago. This game was pretty competitive until Maryland pulled away late into the second half. The defense was key for Maryland they held Loyola to just 41 points. Clayton Custer and Marques Townes were held to 9 points a piece. Big man Cameron Krutwig had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Custer the leader of the Ramblers was out of sync the whole game. He never really got it going and Cowan did a solid job defending him. Townes struggled shooting the ball and only found success when he drove to the basket, which is his best skill. He probably thought twice before doing so against Maryland’s size. The Terps had 13 blocks on the day and forced 19 turnovers….. so, that explains the rough day for Loyola right there. Krutwig had some success but overall missed some easy ones and seemed bothered by Bruno Fernando’s intensity on the defensive end. Despite 5 turnovers for Cowan he forced the pace in the second half and ended the game with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Maryland was in control majority of the game. There never was much of a threat of a run on Loyola’s side. Maryland was playing very good defense and Loyola was struggling to make any type of shots.

There was one interesting point in the second half. It was after a timeout during an inbounds set for Maryland. Cowan found himself a wide-open three pointer right in front of Loyola’s bench. He ended up missing the shot, but I’ll be darned if it didn’t look like wild-man, Loyola coach Porter Moser almost caressed Cowan or whispered sweet nothings into his ear as he shot. Moser was so close to him it was wild! Refs were telling Moser to stay behind the coaches line all game and he would oblige while sweet-talking back to them. He is a coach oozing of passion for the game. He has put his time in before the success of last season. It was much deserved. He has no one but the good Lord and Sister Jean to thank for that.

SIDE NOTE – My toilet flooded recently. We had to get a plumbing company to come out. Well guess what….. It happened again Tuesday night, while I was on the toilet. You’re welcome for the visual.

This was after I had the stomach flu all day Monday. Mind you this was after eating almost a whole family size bag of crab chips with my son Junior, some popcorn (this popcorn is a special mix… spray butter, salt and vinegar chips and cayenne pepper sprinkled on), eating 6 chicken wings that were dry rub garlic parmesan (these were fresh then frozen then un-frozen and sat in the fridge for a few more days), while also having a few big cups of whiskey and coke and watching Home Alone 2……. It was the perfect storm. There were a lot of regrettable decisions made in that eating session.

It was no joke. I couldn’t get out of bed until around noon on Tuesday. I had to call out of work for 2 days.