This post game column is to determine who starred in the game, and who played under par, each player receives a rating of up to three plus (+++) or three negative (—) by Jordan Viener
Tonight, we entered the post-Melo Trimble era of Maryland Basketball with a 79-65 win. The vibe of the game was different than it has been in the past, the Terps were turnover prone, high fouling, and overall sloppy, Melo’s absence was felt. But they were also fast paced, high scoring, and fun to watch. If this is that new brand of Maryland basketball then we are in for a fun couple of years.
Stars:
Anthony Cowan Jr.- Cowan had a career high 21 points and took on Melo’s role as a foul magnet, going to the line 15 times (12/15 FT). He also recorded 10 rebounds for a double-double and shot well from deep (3/6 3PT). It’s worth noting that Cowan also grabbed 9 rebounds last game as well, we could be seeing a double-double breakout, just not with the stats you’d expect from a 6 ft point guard. (+++)
Daryll Morsell- Daryll Morsell had a strong first “real” showing for the Terps. He recorded 13 points and played some stout defense, recording two steals including a break away steal to dunk that put the Terps back up by 10 late in the 2nd half. The energy was really strong for Morsell, the freshman from Baltimore looked happy to be a Terp. (++)
The Fans- Over 16000 checked in for an 8:30 tip time non-conference game on a Wednesday night, not bad. (++)
Michal Chekovsky- There will certainly be those who want Bruno to start after a coming out party (see below). However, I say that, at least for now, Cheko says in front. Cheko played his game, he stayed within himself on offense, setting screens and shooting his shot (3/3, all dunks). On defense, he was a good rim protector and only committed two fouls. He is, for lack of a better word, a game managing center. (++)
Dion Wiley- The surprise start Wiley was outshone by Morsell for the most part, but still played well overall. Wiley scored 11 and shot 60% from three. He played a clean performance, making no glaring defensive mistakes and committing no turnovers. He is a good calming presence on a young team. (+)
Bruno Fernando- I love Bruno’s passion and energy as much as the next guy, it’s what makes him special. He played well overall scoring 8 loud points, and grabbing four boards. The problem was, considering how much he played, he also made a lot of mistakes. Bruno committed two fouls and four turnovers in twenty minutes (!), until he cleans this up he can’t start. That said, he still was a positive, and someone I can’t wait to see in other big games. (+)
Under Pars-
Sean Obi- So…where’d he go? Sean Obi, who, I thought would carve out a nice niche for himself, didn’t enter the game. (-)
Ivan Bender- Ivan Bender played logged four minutes and failed to record a stat. (-)
Justin Jackson- With 15 NBA scouts in attendance this is not the game JJ wanted to have. Jackson rarely shot the ball, and when he did he was average at best (2/4 FG, 0/1 3PT, 0/2 FT). He also committed 4 fouls and 4 turnovers. There were some good things as well, JJ grabbed 10 boards and got two steals and a block. He also showcased some ball handling skills. (–)
Jared Nickens- Unfortunately the Jared Nickens of last season made a return. After having a great game against UMES I thought Nickens had regained his traction and was going to be a bench threat once again, not today. Nickens only played four minutes, and he only recorded one rebound and one turnover, yikes (–)
Kevin Huerter- Yeesh, Kevin Huerter had a rough game. Although he did manage to tie Anthony Cowan for the game high in assists (5) and log the second most rebounds (7) everything else for Huerter was well under par. His shot was off in all facets (3/9 FG, 2/6 3PT, 1/2 FT) and he had the game high in turnovers (5) he also fouled out. (—)
Team Rating: +2
Season Ratings:
Team: +2
Anthony Cowan Jr.: +3
Daryll Morsell: +2
Michal Chekovsky: +2
Dion Wiley: +2
Bruno Fernando: +2
Sean Obi: -1
Ivan Bender: -1
Justin Jackson: -2
Jared Nickens: -2
Kevin Huerter: -3
No comments have been posted yet, be the first!
Post a comment by filling out the form below.
