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Jackson State
By Chris B.
Well blessed by some miracle, I now get Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic all the way up in Harrisburg, and was able to watch the Jackson State game. How do you try and put that debacle from Blacksburg on Thursday night behind you? You get home a few hours before the basketball season opener and remember the ACC Championship we won last year (banner hung last night), and how many players from that team we return! My biggest question on this game would be whether or not Jackson State would score more points than the Hokies did against the football team? The first half opened up and seemed as if we should have been up by 30 plus based on the way the defense was playing. At one point they turned it over 7 times on 8 possessions. We could not convert either, taking threes, missing inside shots. You name it we figured out a way to not convert. G Dub went to the bench early and Strawberry and Gist were the first off the bench, and both contributed nicely. The defensive pressure was run with the 3/4 court press, and the guard combo of Gilchrist, McCray, and DJ were in every passing lane, forcing them to pick up the dribble, and just taking the ball away in anyway possible. At one point we were blocking shots, and not giving up any good looks. In fact it got so bad, that one Jackson State player failed to draw iron on his first free throw. On his second attempt he just nicked the rim. At this point I thought it would be a lock for the basketball team would hold them to under 55 (24 pts at the half). Highlight play of the first half was Ibekwe hitting Gilchrist in stride off the steal with a nice baseball pass for an easy lay-up. In the second half, the fg shooting improved and the Terps rolled on in the second half. Garrison got inside with ease and scored very well on the inside. The big man tandem of Garrison and Ibekwe were able to score easily against the smaller front line from Jackson State. It will be interesting to see what happens when they run into someone with some size. I was very impressed with the way Ibekwe and Gist (Jist to Snively) were able to run the floor in the open court. Both of them were able to handle to ball on the break, and this has to be a good sign of things to come. We kind of live and die by the fast break "O" and with the athleticism our big men have we should be able to run with the best of them. I'm not sure what the problem with Mr. Ledbetter was, but he got no burn, and again it was DJ and McCray that were able to run the show adequately enough, but I would still like to see a true point guard back there to help. Well needless to say things went better in the second half shooting wise, with many fast break points (29 % 1st half to 65% second half).
Report Card. Garrison- A. He was a force inside drawing fouls all game, and was able to convert them all (9-9) from the stripe. Played solid D and was able to hit from the outside as well. I am not sure how long it will take to teams to catch on that we always trail a big man who is able to hit from the top of the key. Scored a career high 21 pts. Ibekwe B. Seems to have improved hit FT stroke a little. Scored 17 pts had a nice game rebounding and ran the floor very well. His athletic ability was to much for J St. Canner-Medley C. Settles for a lot of outside shots still and still goes soft to the rack. That being said he does seem a little more explosive, and I expect him to have a solid year. Played well, just nothing worthy of anything other than average. Gilchrist B. Thanks to his impressive Defensive effort he got up from a C. He was causing havoc all over the court most notable in the press. Did dish out 8 assists and score 11 on 3-8 shooting. 4 Steals was the big stat. Gist B. For a reserve I thought he played very well showing some of what should become a great career for the Terps. He can rebound (5) defend and added 7 points. Seems to be a lot like Ibekwe, maybe even a better player, and they played well together. The only problem I see is that Weave and I weigh more than those two! McCray B. 11 pts, once again his D was able to help improve his grade. Added 6 rebounds and I feel like our guards are all very good rebounders, so that should help pick up the slack we will be missing from Jamar Smith. DJ Strawberry B. 11 pts off the bench. He must have really worked on his shot during the off-season and was 2-4 from 3. If he hits like that he will find away to get in more minutes, because there is no doubt he can defend. Filled in nicely at PG as well. Darien Hennery. B Just getting on the court helped his grade! Had 1 rebound. Grinnon B. Getting in during the first half helped his grade. Played nice D at the end of the half when he was in there. Team tried to get him the ball when he wasn't open. This guy deserves to see a little more minutes based on what he showed during the Duke game last year. Only problem is we can't even get Mike Jones enough time. Mike Jones D. Not enough time on the court. We need to get him comfortable out there, and these are the games that could help! banked in a three. I expect more! Will Bowers F. 1 foul, 2 to's. Enough said. Fofana D. 8 minutes not much to show for it. Closing notes. UNC lost to Santa Clara, lets be thankful for the win! They scored more than 55, but not by much. How about the shot Jermaine O'Neal gave that fan, when he game sliding across the floor. That will teach him to stay off the court. That was any ugly scene in Detroit last night, and those fans who did get hit, deserved it. I don't agree with that idiot Artest going into the stands, but you know what they deserved it. Stephen Jackson, also got in a couple of good shots. |