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Hampton Coaches VS. Cancer Round 1 College Park, MD: By Chris B. The season is upon us. During our scholarly days, EVERYONE knew when basketball started. Talk started after the first football game. This year, I must admit it really snuck up on me. I knew it was getting close, but wow. I couldn't believe it when Midnight Madness was here and then those few weeks between midnight madness and the start of the season just so happened to coincide with this hot streak the football team has gone on, and has consumed our minds. It also brings me great joy to say with 100% certainty the curse of the website is gone! With our bowl eligibility locked, the hoops team can look to improve on the last two NIT disasters. Gone are the seniors who were supposed to cement us as an elite program. Wow, that didn't exactly pan out huh? Instead we are glad they have moved along (not that there aren't great memories from that group, read: ACC Championship) but it was time for some fresh blood. And did we get it. No point guard depth last year? How about two capable freshman in Hayes, and combo guard Vasquez. No more Nik, enter Landon Milbourne. No more Mr. Garrison, how about JC transfer Boom Osby, and Jerome Burney. Infuse those Freshman and Osby with returning starters, Mike Jones (who?), DJ, Ibekwe, and Gist and who knows what you will get. One thing we didn't do last year is start the game with a sense of urgency. Last night VS Hampton, we jumped out early. DJ was fired up, MJ made a couple of hoops early, and things were going well. The lack luster crowd couldn't even stop the Terps from getting off to a fast start last night. They kept a nice working lead through out the game, and the lead never got smaller than 6 points. DJ Strawberry lead the scoring, but there was some balanced scoring with 5 others in double figures (Jones 13, Vazquez and Gist 12, Brown 11, and Ibekwe 10). Hampton attempted 44 3's and only hit 11 (25%), SLIGHT improvement compared to last year Report Card: Ibekwe: B- 10 points, 10 boards but 2-6 shooting and 4 fouls Gist: C+ Double figure points but only 3 boards DJ: A 19 points 7 boards, 5 steals Hayes: C Not bad for first game. 5 assist 5 to's Had some success running half court "o" Jones: B- 13 points 5 boards but 1-5 from 3 Milbourne: C Nothing spectacular, nothing bad Jason McAlphin: Who? New walk-on gets a D in his first action. In 2 minutes in garbage time you have to get a shot off or at least something other than a foul in the stat book! Vazquez: B The good 8-9 from the stripe, the bad 2 of 7 from the flo Brown: B- if we can count on a B "ish" report card from him each game I'd take it. Look for minutes to decrease as Hayes and Vasquez get more comfortable at the college level imop. Wilbo: B 2-2 4 boards Chikura: C at least he got a board in his 3 mins Neal: B- the good 6-6 from the stripe, the bad 1-4 from the line Osby: B 4-6 shooting. The body and toughness the front court will need whether he scores or not.
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