Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Heart of a Turtle

My expectations for Maryland's basketball team this year were as low as they've ever been in my lifetime, thanks to this guy. I was hoping that at the very least the team would learn from their experiences this year, and the young Terps would mature into more rounded players.
They've had their ups/downs so far through 6 games, but I've been very impressed with the maturation of the team. Coach Turgeon has been a pleasant surprise, and his coaching style slightly echoes that of Gary Williams. He's intense, smart, and best of all..the team seems to be buying into his ways.
The Terrapins will be offensively challenged this year (outside of Terrell Stoglin) but I'm more concentrated on the effort they give on defense, and rebounding.
Pleasant surprises so far this year have been the emergence of James Padgett..especially on the offensive side, and Ashton Pankey, the redshirt freshman who missed all of last year with an injury. A couple players to keep an eye on are Nick Faust (frosh), and Mychael Parker (soph)...they need to be sound on both sides of the court because they'll have a huge impact on our guard situation the next few years.
This team has a lot of fight in it, and I believe it starts with their coach. It may be hard to watch this team this year, especially against Duke and UNC...but with my expectations low, I'm finding it fun to watch them improve every game win or lose. The coaches and players knew it could be a brutal year, but they're showing one thing you can't teach...heart.

Fight On Colli Park!

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