Between Greivis Vasquez’s Bob Cousy Award, Steve Blake’s national championship and John Lucas’ two All-America selections, the Terrapins men’s basketball program has a decorated history at point guard.

With the offseason hiring of coach Mark Turgeon — a former backup point guard for a Final Four Kansas squad — it seemed we were set to witness a return to that tradition.

But with no point guard on the Terps’ roster after an ACL injury ended Pe’Shon Howard’s season earlier this month, Turgeon’s been left searching for answers.

Imagine yourself in his position. Here’s a guy who didn’t have the chops for an NBA career but earned a reputation as a pure point guard for one of the best college teams of the ’80s.

Now he’s forced to sit back and watch as two guys — Nick Faust and Terrell Stoglin — butcher his own art.

And it’s nothing against Stoglin or Faust. Stoglin’s clearly better suited as an off-the-ball scorer, while Faust projects as a slashing wing player.

To his credit, Faust stepped up to the plate and asked Turgeon for the ball after Howard went down for a second time. And, in many respects, Faust has improved as a converted point guard. The baby-faced freshman has finally started to look poised and confident running the Terps’ offense.

But one thing’s clear: While the effort may be there, Faust is no point guard. And this team could really, really use a point guard.

“This is a first,” Turgeon said last week. “I’ve always had at least one kid who was a true point guard. … It’s been a challenge. I wish I could help guys more. As a coach, you always want to help players more. I wish I could help Terrell more, I wish I could help Nick more to understand the fine line between winning and losing and making winning plays and winning decisions.”

Even with Howard on the floor, point-guard play rivaled the Terps’ overmatched frontcourt as the most glaring weakness on this team’s roster.

Take, for example, the Terps’ loss to North Carolina on Feb. 4. They were very much in the game against one of the nation’s best teams and even led at halftime. But it all slipped away in the second half.

The difference?

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall was a force, finishing with a game-high 16 assists. Howard had none. He did have two turnovers, though.

And then there was the Terps’ Feb. 18 loss to Virginia. The Terps stumbled in the second half and finished the game with just three assists and 15 turnovers.

You could even see it against the ACC’s worst squad Saturday, when Georgia Tech capitalized on another late-game collapse by the Terps. Hidden in the embarrassing loss was another telling stat line: Faust had two assists, while Yellow Jackets point guard Mfon Udofia finished with nine.

It’s a tough scenario for Turgeon. You can see his aggravation on the sideline, throwing his hands up with each successive turnover.

But what else can he do? He’s shaped Faust into a kid who, at times, can successfully run the Terps’ offense. But Faust and Stoglin just aren’t point guards, and that’s got to be killing a point-guard purist.

“Kids have to grow up and learn from their decisions,” Turgeon said. “It’s been hard. Even with Pe’Shon, he gave us everything, but he’s not a true point guard coming out of high school.

“At least Pe’Shon tried to think [like a point guard]. Nick’s trying, but he’s never had to play that way. And Terrell has to score for us so it’s hard for him. … I just want to help them more down the stretch. I think we’ve made some strides.”

In a way, the point-guard play is representative of the Terps’ season. Faust and Stoglin are doing what they can, and there’s no questioning their effort. Likewise, the team as a whole has battled all season, but it just doesn’t have the talent or the bodies.

As the season winds down, it can be described by an array of adjectives, from disappointing to encouraging.

But for Turgeon, it must just be downright frustrating.

cwalsh@umdbk.com