55 replies to this topic

[Mackus]

Well, best thing I can say about this team right now is that pitchers and catchers report this week.

Very disappointing season.

The O's made the playoffs last October and the Ravens just won the Super Bowl. Makes a crappy Terps basketball team a lot easier to swallow.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I'm not making any definitive statements or conclusions here, because I think this roster had some bigger holes than we realized coming into the year... but some of Turge's decisions this year has me slightly less optimistic about returning to prominence in the next couple of years.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I give Turgeon credit for putting the press on when MD got down today, but it probably should have happened earlier.

The Cavs were better from 3 today, than MD was from the foul line. With UVA being relatively thin up-front, it was really disappointing to me for MD to lose on the boards.

MD only turned the ball over 13 times... which is not 'good', but is good for this MD team.

This is a big loss, especially with Duke coming to College Park next.

[glenn__davis]

The O's made the playoffs last October and the Ravens just won the Super Bowl. Makes a crappy Terps basketball team a lot easier to swallow.

True. Wish I were more of a Ravens fan.

Regarding Turgeon, I will be definitive and say that I don't think he's done a good job of coaching this particular team this year. I believe this team should be better than its been.

Now, long term I'm still optimistic about his potential success here, but I don't think he's done a good job this year. To be honest, I almost feel like this team got talented faster than he expected it to, and he wasn't prepared for it.

[mweb08]

I'm not making any definitive statements or conclusions here, because I think this roster had some bigger holes than we realized coming into the year... but some of Turge's decisions this year has me slightly less optimistic about returning to prominence in the next couple of years.

Yeah, I still have some optimism, but at the very least some people jumped the gun on bragging about Gary's retirement leading to much more success, especially in the short-term.

[Oriole85]

If they were just "out" of it, before this game, I wouldn't write off their chances quite yet. They are on the outside looking in, but I don't think it's as impossible as some for them to make the tourney.

I know the GW divide is pretty deep. Some people think he's the best thing to ever happen in CP, others think he should've been gone a while ago. I think he retired at the right time and I'm glad he did it on his terms. He clearly did a lot for this program, but they had been lacking in recent years.

I'm not rushing to judgment on Turgeon, still got a significant amount of season left and next year.

[Mackus]

Regarding Turgeon, I will be definitive and say that I don't think he's done a good job of coaching this particular team this year. I believe this team should be better than its been.

Now, long term I'm still optimistic about his potential success here, but I don't think he's done a good job this year. To be honest, I almost feel like this team got talented faster than he expected it to, and he wasn't prepared for it.

This echoes my sentiments pretty closely.

I'm still very optimistic about the program going forward, but Turgeon has unequivocally done a poor job of coaching up this year's squad. Just one of those things, more than an indictment of him, I think. He did a real good job last year, but just can't quite seem to get these guys, who are far more talented, to mesh together like we had hoped they could. They are definitely missing a key piece to the puzzle with the lack of a PG, but I thought Turg would be able to figure out a better patchwork than he has.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I think it does go to show that it's not just the # of x-Star recruits you have on the floor, but having the right type of guys on on the roster that balance everything out and play well together. Talent, top to bottom, isn't everything.

The PG position has absolutely crushed this team this year.

[BSLChrisStoner]

If they were just "out" of it, before this game, I wouldn't write off their chances quite yet. They are on the outside looking in, but I don't think it's as impossible as some for them to make the tourney.

I've seen a lot of comments that this loss cements MD being out of the tournament. That is not accurate. Not with 7 regular season conference games left.... but it certainly is a significant loss. One of those games where you think, 'If we can't win this game... how do you win game x?"

[BSLChrisStoner]

I think it does go to show that it's not just the # of x-Star recruits you have on the floor, but having the right type of guys on on the roster that balance everything out and play well together. Talent, top to bottom, isn't everything.

The PG position has absolutely crushed this team this year.

There is no doubt about this, and nobody can claim different. However, I do think the talent on the roster could be used better to help address the deficiencies the roster does have.

[Oriole85]

I've seen a lot of comments that this loss cements MD being out of the tournament. That is not accurate. Not with 7 regular season conference games left.... but it certainly is a significant loss. One of those games where you think, 'If we can't win this game... how do you win game x?"

I agree with this assessment, assuming they can't beat Duke, they can probably only afford one more loss? 5-2 finish would that do it? If they finish 4-3, could making it to the ACC Finals do it? I'm trying to think of the possibilities.

[Mackus]

[I've seen a lot of comments that this loss cements MD being out of the tournament. That is not accurate. Not with 7 regular season conference games left.... but it certainly is a significant loss. One of those games where you think, 'If we can't win this game... how do you win game x?"

Of course it doesn't cement them not making the tournament.

It just means that they have to do things now that nobody can really expect them to be capable of doing. The status quo won't get them in. They'll need to dramatically improve to have any semblance of a shot at the tournament. My confidence in them being able to do that is pretty much at zero right now.

[You Play to Win the Game]

There is no doubt about this, and nobody can claim different. However, I do think the talent on the roster could be used better to help address the deficiencies the roster does have.

I agree completely. That is why this is so disappointing.

[bnickle]

If people want to jump on Turge, jump on Turge if that makes you feel better. Nobody would have made this group of players a NCAA tourny team. Break basketball down to it's simpliest form, at least offensively. Fundamentally, you catch the ball, you dribble the ball, you shoot the ball, you pass the ball. As a team we do none of those things well. You can't even give me many individual players that do some of those things well.

Somebody hit it on the head earlier in the thread, this is a pretty good athletic team but there isn't much skill. I counted about 8 or 9 times in this game where we blew easy, easy looks. 3 or 4 times guys were wide open either going to the bucket or standing underneath the bucket, there was 3 or 4 easy bunnies we missed right at the rim. Point blank layups or literally 2 or 3 footers shots. Then there were 2 or 3 passes that players simply couldn't catch. Not difficult catches. Balls literally going right through peoples hands. You add it all up and you leave conservatively 10 points out on the court. 10 points that absolutely should have been scored with basic, simple fundamental basketball that HS players should execute.

Add onto that everytinhg else you see. I'm not going to argue that Turge hasn't made mistakes this year or that he's doing great job but he's considerably down the line when it comes to issues with this team this year.

[SportsGuy]

If people want to jump on Turge, jump on Turge if that makes you feel better. Nobody would have made this group of players a NCAA tourny team. Break basketball down to it's simpliest form, at least offensively. Fundamentally, you catch the ball, you dribble the ball, you shoot the ball, you pass the ball. As a team we do none of those things well. You can't even give me many individual players that do many of those things well.

Somebody hit it on the head earlier in the thread, this is a pretty good athletic team but there isn't much skill. I counted about 8 or 9 times in this game where we blew easy, easy looks. 3 or 4 times guys were wide open either going to the bucket or standing underneath the bucket, there was 3 or 4 easy bunnies we missed right at the rim. Point blank layups or literally 2 or 3 footers shots. Then there were 2 or 3 passes that players simply couldn't catch. Not difficult catches. Balls literally going right through peoples hands. You add it all up and you leave conservatively 10 points out on the court. 10 points that absolutely should have been scored with basic, simple fundamental basketball that HS players should execute.

Add onto that everytinhg else you see. I'm not going to argue that Turge hasn't made mistakes this year or that he's doing great job but he's considerably down the line when it comes to issues with this team this year.

Put it this way....Turg isn't helping. His team isn't smart but he could run a better system.

Also, he should have scheduled tougher in the non conference, to get his players more conference ready.

[bnickle]

Yeah, I still have some optimism, but at the very least some people jumped the gun on bragging about Gary's retirement leading to much more success, especially in the short-term.

This team is right where Gary's teams were for most of the last 7 years. .500ish ACC record. 20+ wins. All in the 2nd year after Gary left the program in bad shape for his 1st year. There was literally 3 or 4 players that Turge wanted on the roster that Gary planned on having on the roster for '11-'12. And thats being kind to a guys like Padgett and Howard who truth be told Turge would prefer not to have. To me Turge shouldn't be feeling much heat until he gets the roster he wants with at least some upperclassmen. Every single one of Turge's players,not just players he brought in but players he likes on the roster, is a fresh or soph.

Now, I'll admit I was the first to think this group of players, this team was a top 25 team. I was simply wrong. Expectations were too high and now people are finding a way to hold that against a coach who has stupid, questionably skilled, underclassmen.

[bnickle]

Put it this way....Turg isn't helping. His team isn't smart but he could run a better system.

Also, he should have scheduled tougher in the non conference, to get his players more conference ready.

I would argue that manyof Gary's teams should have run a better system to better suit his talent. Coaches are stubborn, almost all of them try to fit peg squares into round holes. Some to a greater extent the others, but you get the point.


Listen, there will come a day when I will start to get much more critical of Turge if things don;t get better. I like him as a coach, but I'm far from a Turg can do no wrong guy, like many of the Garyites.

[Mackus]

Add onto that everytinhg else you see. I'm not going to argue that Turge hasn't made mistakes this year or that he's doing great job but he's considerably down the line when it comes to issues with this team this year.

I think Turgeon has done a pretty mediocre job coaching this group but I would agree, based on what we've seen from these guys in terms of the things the coach doesn't have much impact on, that it would take a truly amazing coaching job to get them to be anything better than a bubble team.

I think Turgeon should have been able to get this team playing better and being on the right side of that bubble (and with a miracle maybe that could still happen), but the earlier expectations that this team could be a Sweet 16 or better team if we could just start knocking down shots and stop turning the ball over have obviously proven to be too lofty.

He desperately needs to get some more intelligent players into the system, and a PG if Peters is more of a combo-guard like Allen than a true point. I like what Layman brings in terms of court sense and being in the right place at the right time a lot, but nobody else really exhibits that sort of innate understanding that you'd like to see.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I would argue that manyof Gary's teams should have run a better system to better suit his talent. Coaches are stubborn, almost all of them try to fit peg squares into round holes. Some to a greater extent the others, but you get the point.


Listen, there will come a day when I will start to get much more critical of Turge if things don;t get better. I like him as a coach, but I'm far from a Turg can do no wrong guy, like many of the Garyites.

I'm still pro-Turge... but I hoped for better this year, regardless of the challenges this roster has, which you noted above and I agree with.

[SportsGuy]

I would argue that manyof Gary's teams should have run a better system to better suit his talent. Coaches are stubborn, almost all of them try to fit peg squares into round holes. Some to a greater extent the others, but you get the point.


Listen, there will come a day when I will start to get much more critical of Turge if things don;t get better. I like him as a coach, but I'm far from a Turg can do no wrong guy, like many of the Garyites.

Even getting past the system....his in game coaching decisions have been poor. Gary was a way better in game coach..it's not really close.