Maryland Recruiting

The players made every basket count. The fans kept the intensity high. The College Park faithful rioted in the streets, and Maryland basketball made a statement to the college basketball world.

In what could be considered the most important game at the Comcast Center, the Maryland Terrapins prevailed over the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils 79-72.

However, the success of the Terrapins basketball program and contentment with Head Coach Gary Williams has not been as glaring over the last few years.

After bringing his alma mater a national championship in 2002, the Terps regressed faster than any other champion in the past 18 seasons, according to the Washington Post.

With that in mind, many of Williams’ recruiting tactics, or lack thereof, came into questions. The Maryland faithful had higher expectations and great demands.

The Washington Post offered an array of reasons for Williams’ failure to recruit high-profile Maryland-area players.

“His disdain for under-the-table recruiting tactics has left him out of touch with the influential summer league circuit,” the report said. “He has grown complacent, delegating most recruiting duties to an ever-changing group of assistants.”

In other words, the Maryland fans grew upset with Williams choosing to avoid the “one-and-done” players that often take a program from good to great. On the other hand, those players usually carry a team deep into the NCAA Tournament, but choose to bolt for the NBA after their mandatory time in college is over.

The report also explains that Williams’ decision to allocate power to newly hired assistant coaches has taken its toll on the kind of players entering the program.

Maryland has missed out on many big-time local players since 2002. The list includes Deron Williams, Scottie Reynolds, Joe Alexander, Malcolm Delaney and Austin Freeman, according the report.

Rivals.com reported the failure of Maryland to recruit current NBA phenoms Kevin Durant and Michael Beasley, both of which made their homes in Prince George’s County.

“There’s so much talent around here that you could build a Top 25 or a top 15 team using nothing but kids from this area,” Curtis Malone said in the report, “But [Williams] lets them get away.” Malone runs one of the area’s AAU programs.

But after failing to reach the big tournament in the 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and 2007-2008 seasons, Williams may have put himself on the hot seat.

Missing out on recruits is one thing, but failing to put forth effort to get them is another issue. But was this really the case? Perhaps some coaching staff changes may have impacted a lot of these moves.

“The biggest thing that caught up with Maryland is the fact that they had so much staff turnover. They all took other college jobs, and that’s a lot of turnover for any program,” according to Matt Bracken of the Baltimore Sun.

Bracken also said that now that the new assistants have had time to gel, the program is seeing better results. He said they are identifying prospects earlier, finding more highly touted players and being more consistent.

In response to local recruits spurning the Terps to go elsewhere, Bracken believes it is part of a larger mission. Maryland is trying to find better fits for their system, and trying to expand their recruiting base.

“Some [recruits] wouldn’t be the best fit for Maryland and vice versa. I think Maryland has done a good job at expanding their reach besides the DC/Baltimore area,” Bracken said. “There certainly have been players from this area that have gone on to do great things at other college programs, but it’s not like Maryland is swinging and missing all the time.”

“They’re finding other guys on the east coast that are good. You see them going into other places in the northeast. They’ve had success in New York and in New Jersey as well.”

Bracken referred to the addition of Jordan Williams, the Terps freshman forward who has averaged over nine points and eight bounds this season.

So is it a failure on Williams’ part in recruiting, or is he just trying to find the right type of players? Bracken believes it’s simply a matter of getting “Gary-type players.”

“He’s definitely got an old-school approach. He’s a no nonsense kind of guy.”

Bracken said Williams look for players to fit his type of system, and to reflect his type of personality. This includes players that play defense, are unselfish and buy into the team concept.

“Sometimes they have a chip on their shoulder, which I think Gary certainly does as well.”

Williams was under much scrutiny last season, and rumors were being spread about the university possibly firing him.

"Anybody can say anything they want," Gary Williams said to the Washington Post. "I shouldn't be fired based on my record. I am not here to recruit. I am here to win basketball games. Recruiting is part of my job. But you can't say I should be fired when you look at my record."

Williams is 164-92 since winning the national championship. The past two seasons have quieted doubters tremendously as the Terps have pulled off some signature victories.

Last year, Maryland posted a 21-14 record. They played just under .500 in conference play, and finished second in the ACC Tournament to Duke. The Terps won their first game in the big dance after falling short to a Memphis team that went to the Sweet 16.

The Terps came up with big wins over No. 3-ranked North Carolina and No. 6-ranked Michigan State, the two teams who finished first and second respectively in the national championship game. Other impressive wins: No. 10 Gonzaga (a Sweet-16 team) and No.16 Georgetown.

This season, Williams’ team has clinched a share of the ACC title, and put together a team deserving considering for a top seed in the upcoming tournament. Before the season began, they were picked to finish fifth in the conference.

“He certainly did take scrutiny these past couple of years but, the year he’s had this year has sort of vindicated him. He has proven he knows what he’s doing. He may not always bring in the five star guys that North Carolina and Duke have pulled in, but you can’t really argue with the results that they’ve had this year,” Bracken said.

Going forward, the state of Maryland basketball will remain a topic of debate among the faithful. It is unknown how the Terps will fare next season.

Maryland’s senior leader and leading scorer, Greivis Vasquez, along with other senior starters Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne, will all be graduating this year.

On the other hand, the Terps seem poised to compete in an always-competitive ACC with players like Sean Moseley and Williams.

While Williams’ resume may speak for itself, but there is no way to tell what the future may hold for the Terps.