Sunday, October 30, 2011

Terps Notebook - Scrimmage, Pe'Shon, Cleare, Len

Maryland opened Saturday's men’s basketball practice to the media and a smattering of fans to watch drills and a 20-minute scrimmage. Quotes and my observations below…

* Neither Pe’Shon Howard (broken foot) nor coach Mark Turgeon ruled out the possibility of a medical redshirt season for the sophomore guard. The school announced on Thursday that Howard had sustained an injury – specifically a fractured bone in his right foot - and could miss 10-12 weeks. Turgeon said it was unclear if surgery was required and the point guard underwent an MRI on Saturday.

Howard, who was rather chipper when speaking with the media, said pain in his foot lingered for about a week and he continued practicing until the ache went from “annoying” to something more.

“It wasn’t too bad and then one day I was walking to class and I was like I can’t take it,” said Howard, who made his way around the Comcast Center with the aid of crutches.

If Howard is back after 10 weeks, he is back on the court just prior to start of ACC play. Maryland’s conference opener is at NC State on January 8.

Should he be out the full 12 weeks out, Howard would sit out 3-4 ACC games and 16-17 games overall. The longer he sits, the more sitting out the season comes into play.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Jake Locker = Kyle Boller = Redskins should pass

*My pal Evan Silva from Rotoworld knows his stuff, but I’d wish he’d get off this Jake Locker-to-the-Redskins at No. 10 talk. I contend that Locker will indeed go in the first round, but to a different team and one a bit closer to where the former University of Washington quarterback starred.

Silva' first sentence about the Washington quarterback reminds me of what draft-niks thought of another Pac 10 quarterback a few years back.

- Silva, on Locker: “Statistically, Locker grades out as an undrafted free agent with a 53.9 career completion rate, 15-25 record, and 6.65 yards-per-attempt average. Athletically, Locker is a picturesque fit for the Shanahans' scheme, which relies heavily on its quarterback making throws outside the pocket.

-Pro Football Weekly, circa 2003, pre-draft report on Kyle Boller. “Had poor stats on a poor team for his first three years, never completing 50 percent of his passes... Played for different offensive coordinators at Cal, but in '02 got to play for a new head coach, Jeff Tedford… putting him in a truly QB-friendly offense that generally required him to read only half the field. The result was Boller completed 225-421-2,815-28-10 (53.4 percent) and Cal had a winning season… Good size, speed and outstanding athletic ability for the position."

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Could Wizards Kids Save Flip, Ernie?

As the Washington Wizards near a third straight demoralizing season with an unsightly record, the buzz has grown locally for coaching changes to be made, front office heads to roll.

But at the same time, the franchise's future with John Wall looks hopeful, perhaps deliriously so. Fellow rookie Jordan Crawford has been a scoring machine since entering the starting lineup and now has tacked on a triple-double while running the point in the suspended Wall's absence. The rebounding numbers generated by Trevor Booker's springy legs and work ethic stood out before his injured foot made him sit down.

So, is it possible that the Wizards kids could save coach Flip Saunders and general manager Ernie Grunfeld from being shown the door?

Sunday, March 13, 2011

College Hoops in the DMV - Bracketology edition

Check out my take on what fans of Georgetown, George Mason and Virginia Tech need to be aware of heading into Selection Sunday. Plus I look at the last four in and out of the NCAA Tournament Field of 68 and the entire makeup of the bracket.

Here is my ham-handed attempt to seed the entire bracket. How about Mason-Richmond in the opening round...

East Southeast Southwest West
1 Ohio State Kansas Pittsburgh Duke
2 Florida San Diego St. UNC Notre Dame
3 Texas UConn Kentucky BYU
4 Louisville Syracuse Purdue Arizona
5 Washington Wisconsin Vanderbilt St. John's
6 Georgetown Xavier Texas A&M Tennessee
7 Temple UNLV West Virginia Kansas St
8 Old Dominion Cincinnati George Mason Utah State
9 Missouri UCLA Richmond Villanova
10 Marquette Michigan Butler Florida State
11 Penn State Colorado Michigan State Illinois
12 Clemson/Memphis VT/UAB USC Gonzaga
13 Princeton Indiana State Oakland Belmont
14 Bucknell Wofford Morehead St. Long Island
15 Saint Peter's Boston Akron No. Colorado
16 UALR/UTSA Ala St/UNC Ash Hampton UCSB