A Year In Review; The Front Court

As we look back on the season, lets look at how the players did over the course of the season, and what the future holds for the team. With Maryland missing the NCAA Tournament, there is a lot to be improved upon, but the team is so young that the future does look bright for Maryland basketball.

One of the biggest differences from the final Gary Williams Maryland teams and the first set of Mark Turgeon teams, is the size and depth of the front court. While the end of the Gary Williams era included the double-double machine, Jordan Williams, it did not include much depth in the front court. Landon Milborne was a small forward who was moved to the power forward position, Braxton Dupree and Shane Walker left the program after a year, Berend Wejis was a rail thin shot blocker at best, and then there was the mayor, Dave Neal. Needless to say the front court was not the strong suit of many Maryland teams.

We fast forward to Coach Turgeon’s second season at Maryland and find not just natural front court players, but skilled players. Alex Len, Shaq Cleare, Charles Mitchell, Jake Layman, and James Padgett were all heavy contributors this season in the front court. They all provided something different, and most importantly, they were all able to contribute positively to the team. We know for sure that James Padgett is leaving, and all signs point to Alex Len declaring early for the NBA draft. Despite both of these loses, Coach Turgeon has Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz and freshman Damonte Dodd coming in to fill the holes.

James Padgett

The Brooklyn native with the quiet personality won’t be remembered more for his play on the court, but for his presence in the locker room. His 5.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG don’t stand out much when compared to his front court teammates. However, Jimmy P was an important member of the team because of his 4 yer experience in the ACC. He was the most experienced ACC player in the line-up and in the locker room, and had played for both Coach Gary Williams and Coach Mark Turgeon. Giving James a low grade on the season is understandable given his light production, but his steady voice in the locker room was something this young team needed. I’m also a sucker for loyalty, and Jimmy showed that by sticking with the program after Coach Williams left.

Alex Len

From the lightest contributing front court player to the most important part of the 2012-2013 Maryland Front Court, Alex Len. Myself, like many others, give Alex a hard time for his struggles at times during the season. But I think it has more to do with us, as fans, wanting to see this team succeed and get back to the NCAA Tournament. The season started with tons of hype about Alex, potential lottery pick, with some suggesting that he could rise to the number 1 overall pick, there was even mention of him contending for the national Player of the Year award. For us outsiders, it seemed crazy to thing about the player that we saw have a tough time adjusting as a freshman to make such a huge leap. But then came his 23 point 12 rebound opening night performance against #3 Kentucky, which made us all believers in the 7’1″ Ukrainian.

As the season went on, we got mixed performances, at times it seemed he was bored with the inferior competition, and at times overwhelmed with bigger situations (ex @ Duke). But then he would go off for 19 points and 9 rebounds while holding Mason Plumlee to 4 points, in Maryland’s home upset of Duke, and we would all be reminded again of what he could do. But even during his slower nights, Alex’s contributions on the defensive end were extremely valuable to the young Terps. His shot blocking, and threat of blocking shots helped Maryland to secure the paint. His rebounding, especially on the offensive end was another added bonus. If Alex does forgo his remaining two years to goto the NBA, everyone on Maryland is going to have to become committed to rebounding , and the guards are going have to keep players in front of them better. It will be tough to replace his presence in the paint right away.

Shaq Cleare

Now, lets get into the players we know for sure will be back next year. First starting with he highest rated player of last years freshman class for Maryland. It is clear that Shaq is still learning basketball, and is learning it at a high level. The ACC may not be the best conference, but every night he is going against top level competition. It is unfair to say that Shaq is disappointing, and it would be even worse to write him off. Unfortunately, our society is all about now, and how players are playing now as opposed to what they can be. Shaq showed solid progression as the season went along. He battled foul trouble early on, but when he was on the court, he showed promise. He is surprisingly much more athletic than I thought he would be, and he also showed the ability to get up and block shots. Everyone knew he was big coming in, but to watch players struggle to move him on offense and defense was great. Not only is he physically big, but he knows how to impose his size. The sky’s the limit for Shaq once he puts everything together. A full off-season to work on his game and to hit the gym should help him a lot. While he did struggle with foul trouble during many games, I think a lot of it had to do with the speed of the game. The tools are there for Shaq, with some time and practice he should hopefully be able to piece everything together and become one of the better post players in college basketball.

Charles Mitchell

Charles aka Stuck like Chuck Mitchell was one of the pleasant surprises for the front court. He was a late addition to the class, and was an under the radar recruit. But he was one of the most productive players in the front court, and an instant fan favorite. He burst on to the scene with 10 rebounds in 16 minutes vs #3 Kentucky, and from there continued an impressive season on the glass. His offense his limited, although at times he showed us some crafty post moves, but his rebounding is impressive. For a freshman, who was a bit over weight when he first got to college, to come in and rebound the way he did was very impressive to see. Chuck has a great motor on the glass, he is tough to box out, and enjoys banging bodies for rebounds. Charles is also a pleasure to watch play because of his emotion. He always looks like he is having a great time on the court, and is always excited when the team is playing well. His emotions get the best of him sometimes, which leads to poor turnovers and bad shots. As he continues to lose some weight and gain muscle, Charles should continue to be a force on the glass for years to come. Once he learns to control his emotion, then he can really be a top Terp. Maryland great, Greivis Vasquez, struggled with the same problem as a sophomore, when his emotionally displays were costly. But as Junior and Senior, his emotion was one of this best attributes. Chuck need to learn how to translate his emotion into positive play, and how to stay in control.

Jake Layman

After a slow start, the Massachusetts native came on big down the stretch for Maryland. Jake was one of the bigger recruiting gets for Coach Turgeon. Highly sought by top programs including Syracuse and Louisville, Jake Layman committed shortly after Maryland beat Miami in Randy Edsall’s first Maryland game. The 6’10” stretch 4 or small forward has the potential to be a match up nightmare for ACC and Big Ten opponents. Like Shaq, he had an up and down freshman year. He went off for 20 points in his first ACC game against Virginia Tech, but then struggled over the next couple of games before scoring 15 against Boston College. Jake was Mr. Everything on his high school team, and you could see that at times he struggled with finding a way to fit into this deep Maryland team. He showed flashes of being an aggressive player who could use his height to get to the rim, he also showed that he has deep range shooting the ball. Like most of Maryland’s players this year, he struggled with consistency. Jake has many of the tools needed for him to succeed at this level, what he and the coaching staff can work on in the offseason, is not only fine tuning his skills, but figuring out how to get him more involved in the offense. Down the stretch when Maryland started pressing more, and even showed the occasionally 1-3-1 zone, Jake played a key role in disrupting the opposing teams offense. His height and athleticism are things that can’t be taught, but figuring out the best way to use it is key for Maryland to have a successful 2013-2014 season.