Season opener comes against fast Redhawks
Playing a Seattle squad in its second year of Division I competition should give the Maryland Terrapins a healthy margin of error in their men’s basketball opener Monday night.
And if that’s not enough, consider that the Redhawks play basketball the way the Terps like it: fast-paced and end-to-end.
When Maryland plays in the 2K Sports Classic, it hopes for a gentle introduction to life after Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. The game is one of four in Division I on Monday, the opening night of NCAA competition.
“We’re prepared,” coach Gary Williams said of the unusually early start. “We just don’t have as many things in right now. But the things we have we’re playing well.”
Returning starters Sean Mosley and Jordan Williams combined with rotation players Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker and Dino Gregory to form a cohesive starting unit in a 106-58 rout of Division II Florida Southern in an exhibition game a week ago. The starters combined for 73 points, 26 rebounds and 20 assists and hit 30 of 45 shots from the floor.
Their efforts were complemented by newcomers, including freshman guard Terrell Stoglin, who provided energy; freshman forward Haukur Palsson, who showed a deft touch from the arc; and junior Berend Weijs (four blocks), who added inside presence.
Williams was noncommittal Sunday when asked which newcomers would be in the rotation Monday.
Seattle is coming off a successful first season in Division I (17-14) after its promotion from Division II. The Redhawks were paced by forward Charles Garcia, who declared for the NBA Draft but was not selected.
That leaves coach Cameron Dollar with four returning starters — 5-10 Cervante Burrell (11.4 points per game), 6-5 Aaron Broussard (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), 6-8 Gavin Gilmore (4.4 ppg), and 6-0 Garrett Lever (3.5 ppg), son of former NBA guard Lafayette “Fat” Lever.
Dollar favors an up-tempo style. The Redhawks averaged 79.6 possessions per 40 minutes last season, second most in the NCAA. It’s a pace the Terps, with improved quickness, will be comfortable with.
“This team is definitely more athletic than last year,” Tucker said. “Coach has put in a lot of new things. We’re going to press a lot more than we did last year. We’re going to run up and down as much as we can.”
Williams is anxious to see whether his preseason observations are accurate.
“We’ve had really good days of practice. That’s a good sign,” Williams said. “The five freshmen and the junior college player [Weijs] have bought into playing hard, and your first unit has a lot to do with that because no one likes to get embarrassed.”
