Connecticut: Tell Robert Burton There's A No Return Policy

Have you heard the one about the booster wanting his money back? Oh my God, it's a classic.


Robert Burton's name is imprinted on the Connecticut football team's training complex. Years back, he donated $2.5M to build the facility. Now he wants his money back.


This cat is unhappy with the school's hiring of former Cuse coach Paul Pasqualoni to replace Randy Edsall after he jet Storrs for College Park, literally.


“We want our money and respect back,” Burton wrote in his letter to Jeff Hathaway, UConn's Athletic Director.


Well, Bob, you can have your money back. But your respect is non-refundable.


I am sure all of your contributions were well appreciated in Storrs. And I am very confident you feel very responsible for the emergence of Connecticut football  into national relevance over the past decade, too. After all, all the checks are signed with your name.


It's not like Edsall deserves any credit for anything.


Every school needs a Burton, at least money-wise. Even if the UConn program doesn't parallel those of Texas or Florida or Southern Cal, even the most minute versions of Phil Knight can pay dividends. But I don't recall Knight having the final say on the Chip Kelly hire when Oregon was looking for a head coach two years ago.


So if the most recognized booster in the game today isn't choosing coaches, what makes you think you have the right to? Former Terp and Under Armour C.E.O. Kevin Plank was likely campaigning for his friend Mike Leach to take over Maryland football, but A.D. Kevin Anderson opted for your boy Edsall. Did Plank go and take away the team's uniforms?


But you went ahead and took the low road, an illustration of your character. 


Take away the player's scholarships. Refuse to advertise with the program. Stop helping the business school; send your managers elsewhere. 


And while your at it, say goodbye to your luxury box. It's better off empty than with you sipping Mike's Hards on Saturdays.


You're upset because you were not consulted for the head coaching hire. Get over it. You are not an expect, despite what you think. I understand you were drafted by the N.F.L.. But if you haven't noticed, they no longer have 19 rounds; it's for a reason, Bob. 


Pasqualoni hasn't coached a down in Rentschler Field and already you're disgruntled. One of your kids played for the guy at Syracuse, and your other is a former Huskie. Congratulations, now your own sons probably think you're a jerk.


As you keep waiting for your $3M check in the mail, consider this: you have given over $7M to Connecticut. Knight had a new basketball court built for his school a few weeks ago...it cost $220 more than your donations. 


Being a booster does not automatically incorporate you into the school's brain trust. It simply means you are supporting the school, offering them financial assistance for them to succeed. 


You're not even a UConn grad; you went to Murray State. So why don't you bring your checkbook there. I hear their looking for someone to fill their booster, head coach and athletic director jobs. You sound like the guy for the job.




samspiegs@aol.com
Twitter: @samspiegs

Terps Fans React to Randy Edsall Hiring as Maryland Football Head Coach

 

Terps React to Randy Edsall Hire as Head Coach

It wasn't Mike Leach. It wasn't Gus Malzahn. And to the dismay of the fans up in Ann Arbor, it wasn't even Rich Rodriguez. 


On Sunday, it was announced that Randy Edsall, the head coach of the Connecticut Huskies for the past 12 years, would assume the same position with the Maryland Terrapins. 


The vacancy at Maryland came after Athletic Director Kevin Anderson decided to buy out the remainder of Ralph Friedgen's contract, a move that was imminent after former offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting James Franklin left to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. 


Perhaps no name was more linked to the Maryland gig than former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, largely due to the ties he has to former Terp and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank. Leach interviewed this week for the position, and it reportedly went well. 


The other candidate was Auburn offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn, who also interviewed for the job this week. Malzahn became a hot commodity on the coaching market for his work this year with Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, and was offered the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. 


Both Leach and Malzahn were considered favorites for the position based on what they could bring to the table. They are both offensive-minded coaches who could change the dynamic of the Terps offense. And if Anderson wanted to energize the fan base, he would have went in that direction. 


Instead, Anderson opted for a coach who turned UConn into a force in the Big East, capturing two conference championships in seven years since its inauguration. Most recently, Edsall's Huskies appeared in the Tostitos BCS Fiesta Bowl, losing convincingly at the hands of the Sooners. 


On Twitter today, there was a tremendous amount of backlash about the Edsall hire. Fans said he was not the flashy hire they expected the university to mark, nor did they consider it an upgrade over Friedgen. In fact, there were many who called for Friedgen to retain his job...as if.


One tweet that struck me was along the lines of 'Leach, Malzahn or fail" for Anderson. If we are going by those lines, consider this the ultimate blunder.


The Terps players, on the other hand, have shown a more optimistic approach to the hire. Here were some of the Tweets they sent following a team meeting called by Anderson tonight.

There was one plea, by Maryland cornerback Cameron Chism, that echoed many of the cries from Terp Nation -- to keep defensive coordinator Don Brown as defensive coordinator. Brown was the director behind the defense's turnaround, which he said all came together in his second season in College Park.

The other Tweet that struck was that of quarterback Danny O'Brien, the ACC's Rookie of the Year and the centerpiece of the Maryland offense for the next few years. O'Brien was rumored to be considering transferring to Vanderbilt after Friedgen's contract was bought out, and many thought his relationship with Franklin would help lure his talents to Knoxville.

And O'Brien is right. Despite the disappointment scattered throughout Terp Nation on this Sunday, it would be stupid to simply stop supporting the team. 

Edsall was not the guy we expected to become the head coach, nor was he the guy we wanted to be the head coach -- for the most part. But he is here, and if they players accept him then the fans should back him...if, of course, they want a successful football team.

Maryland High School Athletes Donovan Smith and Maggie Morrison

Maggie Morrison

 


Donovan Smith


 

Is Maryland WR Torrey Smith Heading to the NFL?

Terp Nation's best offensive weapon is preparing to enter his name into the NFL Draft, suggests Rotoworld, a fantasy website covering every nuance within the sports news universe.

More evidence that the website correct in their prediction comes from a recent feature by Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post that details the upbringing of Smith and a Tweet by Smith himself.

Purely speculating, when Smith chose to Tweet the trending topics to state his support of his head coach, he did so in a way that may hint to his future at Maryland.

Smith graduated this semester, and now that the head coach that has been by his side is being forced out by the university, there may be no reason for the talented wide-out to remain for another season.

Common logic suggests former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is the front-runner for the Maryland gig,  but Athletic Director Kevin Anderson stated there was no leading candidate and the firm he assigned would conduct a nationwide search.

Leach has produced wide receiver talents like Wes Welker and Michael Crabtree, and could help elevate Smith's statistics into out of this world numbers in his fast-paced, high-scoring Air Raid offense.

Smith has yet to make an official announce on his future, but is expected to do so after this Wednesday's Military Bowl at RFK Stadium against East Carolina. The deadline to declare for the N.F.L. Draft is Jan. 15.

Gary Williams Gets Advice From the Science Community

 

Lineup Changes Spark Terps Past NJIT

Here's a video of Gary Williams' post-game press conference after his team dominated NJIT 89-50.



 

The Overrated/Underrated Awards

NCAA Basketball:

Most overrated coach: Roy Williams

So how do you call a coach who has won two NCAA championships within the decade overrated? Easy -- it's all about being a brand name. Roy has has two head coaching gigs in his career -- Kansas and UNC. Wow, I would say it's real impressive for a coach to get recruits when you're coaching two of the most winning college basketball teams in history.

Coach Williams gets to work with the most specular group of talent from all over the country. This year, he has four players for high schools in California, as well as some from Tennessee and Indiana -- the kind of placed you don't see the ACC get unless you're a national powerhouse.

Another hit to Williams' resume is his propensity to lose games where he's expected to win. Since the beginning of his tenure at UNC, Williams has lost numerous conference where his team was favored, including four in 2003-04 and eight this year. But maybe that's more an attribute to the quality of the ACC or that he finally was allowed to have a down year. Or maybe it's the fact that pre-season polls favor UNC regardless of their actual talent and more based on their reputation.

Most underrated coach: Gary Williams

Someone once told me that if Gary Williams and another coach each had the same five players on their squad, Gary would have the heads-up every single game.

Gary does less with more more than any other coach in the country, and these last two seasons have clearly demonstrated that. After missing out on highly regarded recruits, Williams and the Terps relied heavily on Greivis Vasquez if they wanted to contend in the ACC. Well, due to the motivation and attitude Williams shed onto his players, they made the NCAA Tournament both years after neither time anyone picked them to.

Williams refuses to recruit one-and-done players or use under-the-table recruiting tactics, but still his desire to win and knowledge of the game has transcended onto his players. And what could you say about constantly being a contender in the ACC with powerhouses Duke and UNC as opponents usually twice a year?

Well, Maryland finally overcame the hump and defeated the Blue Devils this past March, and the Terps have a two-game winning streak over the Tar Heels now.

Most overrated player: John Wall

I can't just throw statistics at you and saying Wall is not a great player -- he is -- but the award is 'most overrated.' The same argument goes for Wall as does Coach Roy Williams -- it's about the talent that surrounds him.

On the Wildcats, there are a four sure NBA talents besides Wall in DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe. The most underrated, Bledsoe, could probably put up identical numbers to Wall if he wanted to. On any other team, Bledsoe could be the superstar we are all talking about.

Most underrated player: Jimmer Fredette

What made this decision most difficult was there are so many under-the-radar teams that may have superstars that I have never seen player and that I would be disrespecting them by not giving them their due.

So I'll put a tag on this award, saying that of the teams I've watched, this is who has impressed me the most.

And a note, second place was given to Xavier's Jordan Crawford -- anyone who can drunk on LeBron gets high consideration.

The winner, Jimmy Fredette, the New York product, led his BYU team into a surprising AP top ranking, and put on a show when he had the NCAA Tournament as his stage.

Fredette, for the not-so-powerhouse of a team he played on, put up great scoring numbers -- over 22 points per game, almost five dimes, three boards and .440 from three-point range.

In BYU's first tournament game, Fredette put up 37 points against the Florida Gators, as his team defeated them by scoring 99 -- not your every day tournament game score.

Fredette was still a force in their next match up against Kansas State when he scored 21, but his team was not so lucky that time around.

So when you're trying to figure out the most underrated player in the country, it never hurts to select a player you've never heard of on a team that you'd never expect to be successful.

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.

First Post

I can't remember where I heard this, but it was a journalism-related event. The journalist said he keeps both a journal and a calendar of events, so after procrastinating weeks, I finally found time to set both items up.

The Duke v. Maryland game Wednesday night was a monumental moment in Maryland basketball history. A lot of people are hesitant to anoint a game "the best ever," but the magnitude and atmosphere of this game makes it deserving.

Maryland was unranked coming into this season, and Duke was supposed to be number 1 in the ACC with the return of Singler and Scheyer. North Carolina was ranked due to reputation, as well as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest at other points in the season. It wasn't until consecutive victories over GT, Clemson and VT that Maryland got ranked -- at 23.

When Maryland and Duke took the floor Wednesday night, Comcast Center was shaking. Every basket counted. Every fan was screaming. Every eye was glued to the court. And on the Maryland student night, our heralded senior, Greivis Vasquez, was the star.

To me, the game went as follows: The first 10 minutes was dominated by the Terps. Truth be told, it may have been pure intensity and volume of the crowd that led the charge more than the play on the court. However, the second part of the first half was Duke fighting back, and making it too close for Terps' fans at the half.

In the second half, it was a back-and-forth see-saw. Like the past three Terps games, it looked like it was destined for drama. Previously, Maryland beat GT on a buzzer-beater, VT in overtime and a second-half comeback against Clemson. On this night, the tie broke when Duke's shooters, Scheyer, Singler and point guard Nolan Smith, finally went cold. Freshman Jordan Williams started dominating the boards, and Vasquez made shots that put the crowd in awe.

It was as if that night, Maryland's victory was a part of destiny. All the right shots fell, rebounds grabbed and the student-fan body at Comcast was united as one. High fives were shared, hugs, kisses, tackles and an overwhelming crowd storming all occurred. Even a College Park riot hit Route 1. But that night was all about Maryland basketball -- making a statement: we want respect and we want it now.