Watching the Terrapin men’s basketball team slide closer and closer to what seems an inevitable berth in the NIT has made me come to a long-overdue realization: I miss Greivis Vasquez.
I miss his shimmies up and down the court after making a big shot.
I miss his passion, emotion and flair.
And — perhaps most relevant to this year’s team — I miss beholding his ability to take over a game at seemingly any time.
The vivacious Venezuelan, who now plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, will be back in College Park on Sunday when the Terps host NC State. At last, Vasquez’s jersey will be raised to the rafters of Comcast Center in a ceremony to honor the former Terp great.
The ACC’s reigning Player of the Year and the only player in ACC history to record 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds, Vasquez will finally join the pantheon of Terp legends that includes such players as Tom McMillen, Len Bias, Walt Williams, Juan Dixon and Steve Blake.
“It’s a huge honor, man. I can’t believe it. It’s incredible,” Vasquez said in a phone interview earlier this week. “To have my jersey with my name on it [in the rafters] is a privilege. I’m just thankful. I thank the University of Maryland for helping me and supporting me through good times and bad times.”
Despite Vasquez’s memorable senior year, one that ended with the Terps claiming a share of the ACC regular-season title, it’s important to remember there were those bad times.
A breakout sophomore year was marred by seemingly endless stretches of turnover-prone play that would bury the Terps just as quickly as his playmaking ability had elevated them.
During a home game against Georgia Tech midway through his junior season, Vasquez put a finger to his lips and, with language not fit to print in this space, told Terp fans who had been heckling him to sit down and be quiet.
Later that year, a Vasquez-led Terp team lost at Duke by 41 points — the program’s worst defeat in more than a half-century.
But the good times far outweighed his few missteps in an otherwise great four years in College Park.
It’s hard to forget his breakout performance as a freshman under the bright lights in Durham, N.C. In his first-ever game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Vasquez came one assist short of a triple-double in an 85-77 Terp victory. Shortly after, Vasquez proclaimed the famous Duke arena “my house.”
Little changed over the years. As a junior, Vasquez authored the Terps’ first triple-double in more than 20 years in a win against then-No. 3 North Carolina that sparked an eventual NCAA Tournament berth. Last season, he posted 41 points in an unforgettable double-overtime thriller at Virginia Tech.
But perhaps the memory that resonates most is that of Vasquez carrying the Terps to victory against the Blue Devils last season on his Senior Night, all but clinching a share of the ACC title. As fans streamed onto the court that night, they appropriately lifted Vasquez onto their shoulders, solidifying his spot in Terp history after an up-and-down start to his career.
“I think they’ll remember the guy that gave everything and played hard every game,” Vasquez said. “I didn’t win a championship, but my career at Maryland was remarkable because the type of teammates I played with and my coaches and the fans made my career. All those people helped me become the guy and player I am right now.”
Forgive my nostalgia, but it’s hard not to notice the hole that Vasquez’s departure has left in the Terps this season. His four-year stint in College Park epitomized what the Terps now lack, and it’s become all the more evident after watching the Terps lose to Boston College and Virginia Tech in the past six days.
His leadership and uncanny ability to get the crowd fired up are two major pieces that have been conspicuously absent from this year’s team.
Ask coach Gary Williams, and he’ll tell you the Terps haven’t used home crowds to their advantage this season.
“It’s got to be natural,” Williams said earlier this month. “I can’t say, ‘Hey, go get the crowd in the game.’ You have to play your game — like Vasquez had that. That was part of his game. I never told him that.”
Vasquez has seen what the Terps have become without him. But after a long and fulfilling career in College Park, he knows he can’t come back and fill the big shoes he left behind.
“They’ve got to play with some pride. … I’m not there no more,” Vasquez said. “They’ve got to figure it out themselves.”
And therein lies the sad part. Vasquez isn’t a Terp anymore, and it’s time to move on. Sunday’s ceremony offers a chance to do just that, giving closure to the career of an all-time Terp great.
“I’m happy where I’m at,” Vasquez said, “but I definitely miss my school so much.”
The feeling’s mutual, Greivis.
jengelke@umdbk.com
