Guard Terrell Stoglin’s 10.6 points per game average is the highest of any Terp freshman guard since John Lucas in the early 1970s.
Terrell Stoglin and Pe’Shon Howard can be found every night in Comcast Center taking shot after shot, driving off imaginary picks, attacking the rim — two workaholics from out west tending tirelessly to their games inside their new home away from home.
Just a year ago, the pair was in high school, chasing separate glories. While Stoglin led Santa Rita High School through the Arizona 4A-II playoffs, Howard — a Los Angeles native — guided Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) to its usual spot among the nation’s top prep powerhouses.
Now, as Terrapin men’s basketball teammates, they’ve found that little about their responsibilities has changed, even if their venues have. With the Terps’ NCAA Tournament hopes fading fast and the play of several seniors heading the same way, coach Gary Williams has increasingly turned to Stoglin, a lightning-fast 6-foot-1 shooter, and Howard, a muscular 6-foot-3 distributor, to help carry the Terps’ backcourt for the rest of the season and likely beyond.
Their play of late, including Stoglin’s 25 points and 7.5 assists per game last week that earned him ACC Rookie of the Week honors, has brightened the prospects of an otherwise disappointing season for the Terps. And while the duo may not be able to salvage the team’s postseason aspirations this season, their early production indicates they could forge standout careers not unlike the slew of greats that preceded them.
“Like all good freshmen, they’re starting to figure things out,” Williams said. “We are a little small, but their toughness and quickness can help overcome that.”
Five years ago, Williams went through the same growing process with another freshman point guard tandem in Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. The departure of guards D.J. Strawberry and John Gilchrist the year before had left Williams to rely heavily on the two.
This season, Williams found himself in the same predicament with the graduation of Vasquez and Hayes. But despite typical freshman inconsistencies, Stoglin and Howard have confidently stepped up to assume the roles of primary ball handlers for the Terps.
“Both situations are out of necessity,” Williams said. “[Vasquez and Hayes] were bigger. These guys are quicker. They’re different types of players. Both Pe’Shon and Terrell think of themselves as point guards coming in.”
At the point-guard position this season, Williams first looked to seniors Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker. While both have shown improvement, neither has demonstrated the capability to lead the Terps to the NCAA Tournament as the team’s de facto floor general.
Bowie has eight points combined in his past three games and didn’t take a shot against NC State on Sunday. During the same stretch, in which the Terps went 1-2, Tucker had seven turnovers.
So more and more, Williams has looked at Stoglin and Howard to run the offense, interchanging the two in the starting lineup and even throughout games.
After starting side by side for the first time against the Wolfpack, Stoglin and Howard are soaking in every moment they share the court together.
“We’re real close,” Stoglin said. “We’re both from the West Coast so we share that. … We have a lot of flash to our game.”
Even before their recent breakout performances, that showmanship had popped up intermittently this season. Both had signature moments to start the season, as Howard hit a game-winning shot against College of Charleston on Nov. 10 and Stoglin finished with 17 points against Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19.
Both, however, also struggled at times.
“When you’re a freshman, it’s very rarely you’re consistent,” Williams said. “That’s the hardest thing for a freshman. They’re not used to going against a tough player every game.”
Howard, who seemed to find his stride a little earlier than Stoglin, has shown a knack for effectively running the Terps’ offense, finding open teammates and setting up easy baskets. In the past seven games, he has 27 assists to go with just nine turnovers.
His 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio is the highest for a Terp freshman guard since Terrell Stokes in 1995-96, surpassing even former stars Steve Blake and Vasquez.
“He comes in the game ready to play, really intense on defense, calms the offense down, gets us through our plays,” forward Dino Gregory said. “He’s basically our floor general when he comes out there. He demands everyone’s attention.”
“My last year in high school, I had to be the coach on the floor,” Howard said. “I think that helps now I’m in college. When I come in the game, I try to pick up the tempo or make sure if we have the lead we keep it.”
Stoglin, meanwhile, hasn’t hesitated to call his own number. The freshman has the speed to beat almost anyone on the fast break and the creativity to get his shot from nearly anywhere on the floor.
As his playing time has soared, Stoglin’s scoring has approached historic levels. His 10.6 points per game average is the highest of any Terp freshman guard since John Lucas in 1972-73.
“When Terrell’s in the game, it’s more up-tempo,” Gregory said. “He’s a fast guy and a young guy from out west, he’s trying to go, go, go.”
“Terrell thinks the light is always green,” Williams added. “He’s never seen a red light.”
On Sunday, when Vasquez’s banner was unfurled from the rafters in Comcast Center, the Terps closed one chapter in the career of one of the most storied point guards in program history.
Moments later, when two heady freshmen of different backgrounds and skill sets took the court together, they opened the door to what might be their backcourt of the future.
Williams has opted not to compare the success of his previous backcourt, which earlier this season he called one of the best in the country last year, to his current one. But so far, Stoglin and Howard have shown the potential to continue in Williams’ long line of standout guards.
“You can’t really compare us because we’re different players,” Stoglin said. “But we’re looking forward to playing together on the same backcourt next year.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
