The Terrapin men’s basketball season goal has to be an NCAA tournament berth, and it should be able to lean on experience.
With four returning players – seniors D.J. Strawberry, Ekene Ibekwe and Mike Jones and junior James Gist – who started at least 15 games last season, these Terps should know ACC basketball better than their own jock size. Additionally, they have seen significant game action since arriving on the campus. Experience like this should make Julio Franco damn proud.
So naturally, the fate of this year’s team lies with three fresh faces, guys who were in the early stages of puberty during the Terps’ national championship run five seasons ago.
They are freshmen. Or because their standing as a collective X-factor is much more relevant on this team than their class standing, let’s just refer to them as the X-Men.
Why are the X-Men so crucial to the Terps’ success? The belief here is that while the aforementioned players are competent, they alone probably cannot propel the Terps into the ACC’s upper echelon.
Let’s put it this way: without significant season-long contributions from at least two of the three X-Men – Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne and Greivis Vasquez – the Terps will be hard-pressed to improve much on their back-to-back NIT appearances.
The beauty of the X-Men is that each player brings different superpowers to the fold. Because of his sharp basketball IQ and passing ability, Hayes is the Terps’ first true point guard since Steve Blake – whom Hayes ironically and uncannily resembles. Fortunately, it seems that Gary Williams has already handed over the reins to Hayes, effectively moving Strawberry back to his natural wing position.
Milbourne, arguably the most heavily recruited member of the X-Men, is a smooth slasher who should mature into the prototypical build of an NBA small forward. Also heralded for his defense, Milbourne might be asked to defend some of the ACC’s more athletic forwards like Reyshawn Terry.
This brings us to Vasquez, who is Williams’ most intriguing talent since John Gilchrist bolted to the NBA … errr, Israel. Though he’ll probably commit a fair amount of turnovers, the versatile Vasquez can contribute any number of ways. He is undoubtedly an offensive playmaker, someone who can create a shot for himself or a teammate if the flex set breaks down. The native Venezuelan also has a nose for the ball on the defensive end, which should translate into a few steals per game.
But Vasquez’s biggest contribution to this team and in the years to come could be his charisma. Strawberry calls this as an “international swagger,” which is on point considering Vasquez conjures up comparisons to the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili – and not only with his basketball skill set.
Vasquez plays with emotion and enthusiasm that is contagious. Just focus solely on him tonight for a few minutes and you’ll know what I mean.
So with the introductions now complete, it’s important to ask just how far the X-Men can carry the Terps. With the ACC seemingly comprised of one heavyweight (North Carolina) followed by a pack of quality teams, it may not be too farfetched to think that these freshmen could help deliver a second- or third-place conference finish.
But if they prove to be too green, then expect another season-long dogfight for an NCAA tournament berth.
Contact columnist Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.
