Guest Editorial: Maryland basketball rebuilds
With the college basketball season finally kicking off over the course of the last couple of weeks, it may be time to update your TV package at http://www.cabletelevision.net/ to make sure that you catch all of the round ball action. Among hot topics this season is the rebuilding effort taking place across the ACC, a conference full of programs looking to get back on their feet, many with new coaches. Most notably, the Maryland Terrapins are looking to start a new era following the retirement of long time, successful coach Gary Williams.
Williams led the Terrapins to basketball prowess during his time as head coach, and even won a national championship in 2002. The Terps were always one of the most competitive teams in the ACC with Williams at the helm, which is why some drop-off is expected following his exit. However, Maryland took a strong first step when it hired Mark Turgeon (who had previous experience coaching good teams at Texas A&M and Wichita State) to replace Williams. Turgeon has an established name, and should be able to make a relatively smooth transition, as he will continue to draw strong recruits.
Unfortunately, the Terrapins’ 2011-2012 season is off to a bit of a rough start. Maryland may not be stacking up losses just yet, but watching them so far has been anything but pretty. An opening win at home against UNCW was nice, but nothing too impressive, and was followed immediately by a rout at the hands of nationally ranked Alabama. Add on an early 26 point loss to Iona, and it’s safe to say that Maryland and Coach Turgeon have a bit of work left to do. Fortunately, however, the non-conference schedule is relatively easy, and should allow for some confidence-boosting wins, and the ACC, as mentioned, is rebuilding, which could later allow for some contention. Maryland hasn’t exactly jumped out of the gate under Mark Turgeon, but the team is talented and relatively young, and within a few months could be starting to look fairly tough. It will be interesting to watch their progress as the season unfolds.
