Qudus Wahab – 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 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.