I would say it is because of Gary's personality. He's a blue collar coach and he wants players that are going to buy into his system and play with discipline, and he wants players that will stay with him for 4 years. He usually stays away from big name high school All Americans because they are high maintenance and they come into college thinking they are bigger than the team. And don't forget that Gary won the National championship in 2002 with a team that did not have a single McDonalds All American on the roster. As a matter of fact, his first recruiting class after the national championship season had 2 McDonald's All Americans, Travis Garrison and Mike Jones. Both of them were underachievers at Maryland and you could tell that Gary felt like he sold out by recruiting them (Mike Jones was the #2 rated player in the country in high school - who was #1 that year? Lebron JamesOriginally Posted by alex15
). He has not recruited an All American since.
Gary built his reputation by recruiting players that other top teams would not consider "elite"(think Lonny Baxter, Juan Dixon), so they always come in with a chip on their shoulder which fits Gary's personality perfectly. And he is well regarded as a coach that plays by the rules in recruiting, and a lot of times you cannot recruit All Americans unless you provide some "extra incentives".
I will point you to the case of Rudy Gay, who is from Maryland but went to UCONN: UCONN's coach Jim Calhoun paid Rudy Gay's AAU club team 25,000$ when Gay was in high school. Amazingly, this was not against the rules, but it is the kind of garbage that some coaches do to attract top players. Gary never does those things.
LOL
the laid back bobby knight, minus the disgruntled yellings and beatings of players. and those icnentives, yes how so true. go to any major D1 school and youll be seeing these kids who came from the slums rolling in vehicles that your avg family doesnt drive.
I would say it is because of Gary's personality. He's a blue collar coach and he wants players that are going to buy into his system and play with discipline, and he wants players that will stay with him for 4 years. He usually stays away from big name high school All Americans because they are high maintenance and they come into college thinking they are bigger than the team. And don't forget that Gary won the National championship in 2002 with a team that did not have a single McDonalds All American on the roster. As a matter of fact, his first recruiting class after the national championship season had 2 McDonald's All Americans, Travis Garrison and Mike Jones. Both of them were underachievers at Maryland and you could tell that Gary felt like he sold out by recruiting them (Mike Jones was the #2 rated player in the country in high school - who was #1 that year? Lebron James
Gary built his reputation by recruiting players that other top teams would not consider "elite"(think Lonny Baxter, Juan Dixon), so they always come in with a chip on their shoulder which fits Gary's personality perfectly. And he is well regarded as a coach that plays by the rules in recruiting, and a lot of times you cannot recruit All Americans unless you provide some "extra incentives".
I will point you to the case of Rudy Gay, who is from Maryland but went to UCONN: UCONN's coach Jim Calhoun paid Rudy Gay's AAU club team 25,000$ when Gay was in high school. Amazingly, this was not against the rules, but it is the kind of garbage that some coaches do to attract top players. Gary never does those things.
"A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous
Kim denied eligibility by the NCAA, Maryland will appeal but he will most likely not be playing for the Terps this season.
LOL
This sux big time! It would have been cool to see a Korean player in the NCAA.
It seems that academic technicalities and/or eligibility to stay in the U.S issues are always preventing kids from outside the U.S to play in the NCAA.
KIM WINS APPEAL, WILL PLAY FOR MARYLAND IN 2008-2009
Kim Declared Eligible
Freshman forward Jin Soo Kim was declared eligible for the 2008-09 season by the NCAA Clearinghouse this afternoon. Maryland released the news in a press release moments ago. Kim will begin practicing with the team on Wednesday.
The NCAA Clearinghouse had denied Kim his eligibility late last week, but the decision was not declared final. After receiving more documentation from Maryland regarding online correspondence courses Kim took during the fourth quarter of his senior year at South Kent School in Connecticut, the NCAA Clearinghouse changed course.
"The Maryland basketball team is very happy for Jin Soo," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said in the release.
LOL
This is great news!
I'm positively surprised that Maryland was able to sort out his issues
#11
He is #11 according to the Maryland website.
This saturday is the time to see this guy.
I am as curious as anyone regarding Jin Soo Kim.
The 6-8 forward from Korea gained his eligibility Monday afternoon from the NCAA, and will be practicing tomorrow with the Terps. If practices remain closed, my first look will be at the same time when some of you will see him -- in Saturday's scrimmage against Northwood University.
I've been hearing about how good a shooter Kim is since last spring, when some Maryland fans were talking about him at the ACC tournament in Charlotte. They said he was the best shooter Gary Williams has ever signed, and Williams said last week that Kim would be the best shooter they have.
Here's a question: With the way teams will be able to defend the Terps this season on the perimeter because of Maryland's lack of inside scoring threats, will Kim be able to get off his shot? I have the same question about Eric Hayes. Obviously, Kim has about four inches on Hayes.
Aside from his shooting, I've been given mixed reports on Kim. Somebody said that he was terrific as a sophomore at South Kent, the prep school he played at in Connecticut, but not as good last season after the team's point guard graduated. I'll also be interested to see how Williams plans on using him given Maryland's overabundance of swing players.
As I said, the first look will come Saturday.
Should be interesting.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spor..._the_wait.html
His debut
JSK's debut game is tommrow saturday 2 pm(Eastern).
I think this game is a preseason, so epsn is not broadcasting. but u can watch the game at the maryland website.
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-bas...kbl-sched.html
just click the game you want to watch, and click gametracker on the right side. should be interesting to see a korean player playing for maryalnd tommrow
I'll be at the game. Jin Soo will play but Vazquez is out and another starter might be out as well so Jin Soo should be able to get some playing time. I'll be back with a report on him
LOL
It must be great to be able to watch a live NCAA game on court (Especially when it's a team like Maryland). I'm sure the atmosphere is more intense than in the NBA (Especially when the majority of the fans are college students
(Just don't do anything that might get u in trouble like during the presidential elections)
Haha yeah nothing too crazy today it was only a pre-season game.It must be great to be able to watch a live NCAA game on court (Especially when it's a team like Maryland). I'm sure the atmosphere is more intense than in the NBA (Especially when the majority of the fans are college students
(Just don't do anything that might get u in trouble like during the presidential elections
About Kim: He looks like a really confident player. He stepped on the court and started shooting 3's like he's been on the team forever. He has a really good feel for the game he was in the right position throughout and he wasn't shy about taking his shots. I can see him getting 10-15 minutes per game this year. He's still pretty frail and a step slow but he looks like he could be the real deal eventually. He was nailing threes in warmups but I didn't see him make one in the game (you could tell he was trying to force the action because he wanted to win over the crowd). He did get a standing ovation from the student section when he checked into the game, which was nice. It should be an interesting year for the first South Korean DI player.
***Kim finished with 20 points, exploding for all of his points in the second half.
Last edited by Terps54321; 11-08-2008 at 08:13 PM.
LOL
Wow. Jin Soo Kim is the talk of the town today. He was phenomenal in the second half he looked like he should have an impact immediately.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/c...,1273162.story
Terps cruise to exhibition victory
Kim, Milbourne each score 20 points for UM in 104-60 win vs. Northwood
By David Ginsburg | The Associated Press
4:23 PM EST, November 8, 2008
COLLEGE PARK - Freshman Jin Soo Kim scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, Landon Milbourne also finished with 20, and Maryland cruised past Northwood, 104-60, Saturday in the Terrapins' only tuneup before the regular season.
Five players scored in double figures for the Terrapins, who open the season Friday night at home against Bucknell. Cliff Tucker scored 17, Adrian Bowie had 16 and Eric Hayes contributed 15.
Maryland played without starting guard Greivis Vasquez, who served a one-game suspension for violating team policy. Vasquez led the Terrapins in scoring and assists last year and is expected to be a significant contributor on a small team that will rely on quickness in the backcourt.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Vasquez watched from the bench while his teammates breezed to an easy victory.
The game matched two coaches who have won NCAA championships. Gary Williams is entering his 20th season at Maryland, where he captured the title in 2002. Rollie Massimino, who orchestrated Villanova's upset of Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA championship game, is about to begin his third season at Northwood.
Massimino is enjoying success at a lower level with Northwood, an NAIA team that launched its basketball program in 2006. In two seasons under Massimino, the Seahawks are 50-16 with two appearances in the NAIA tournament.
But Northwood doesn't have the skill to hang with good Division-I teams. The Seahawks were coming off a 75-37 exhibition loss to Villanova, and the outcome against Maryland was never in doubt.
B.J. McDowell led Northwood with 13 points and DeSean White had 11.
Bowie scored 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting and Milbourne also scored 14 to help the Terrapins take a 53-35 halftime lead. Maryland outrebounded the Seahawks 24-14, turning 10 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points.
Milbourne had two baskets and Hayes contributed a 3-pointer in a game-opening 9-0 burst. It was 21-10 before Milbourne scored five points in an 11-3 run that upped the margin to 19 points.
Minutes later, Tucker scored six straight points to make it 40-17.
McDowell and White were the only Northwood players to score in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. After White hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to get the Seahawks to 66-45, Kim and Hayes made successive 3-pointers for the Terrapins to launch an 11-2 spree that increased the lead to 30.
Kim went 5-for-8 from the floor in the second half after an 0-for-5 first half.
LOL
Gary Williams on freshman Jin Soo Kim's 20-point performance: "He watched us practice since Oct. 17. You never know what a player is learning when he's sitting out in street clothes watching practice. Jin Soo had some things down when he came on the court. He knew a couple of our basic plays, and I think it showed today. Where he caught the ball, you have to run some things to get in that position, and, of course, he can put the ball on the floor well for a guy who is 6-foot-8. I think he was very nervous out there, which is a good thing. It's nice to see players get nervous, especially in their first time being on the court."
LOL
Very nice, definitely much better than I thought, although you can't judge too much from a performance against an NAIA school. I think it's a very good thing he has the confidence to take that many shots though. Hopefully he can get significant PT at Maryland and develop into a legitimate NBA prospect.
aim low, score high
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/c...,1273162.story
Terps cruise to exhibition victory
Freshman Kim scores 20 points for UM in 104-60 win vs. Northwood
By Don Markus | don.markus@baltsun.com
COLLEGE PARK - The Maryland students at Comcast Center were waiting to explode the moment Jin Soo Kim's three-pointer settled into the bottom of the net for the first time.
Finally, with a little less than 15 minutes left in today's 104-60 exhibition win over the NAIA's Northwood University, Kim hit a three. The explosion came -- from the students and then from Kim.
Though he struggled with his outside shot, making only one of six three-point attempts, Kim finished with 20 points -- 18 in the second half and most resulting from slicing drives to the basket with either hand.
"He didn't surprise me at all. I knew he could play like that," said junior forward Landon Milbourne, who also had 20 for the Terrapins. "We've been playing pickup games, little drills after practice. In the time he has been practicing with us, he's had little flashes of that."
The first South Korean to play Division I basketball, Kim, 19, gained his eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse on Tuesday. A combination of nerves and unfamiliarity with the Maryland offense led to a shaky first half.
"You never know what a player is learning sitting in street clothes," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "Jin Soo had some things down when he came on the court; he knew some of our basic plays. I think it showed today. He can put the ball well on the floor for a guy who is 6-8."
Kim said he felt very "happy" after making his first shot, and some of that happiness was also felt by the students, who were chanting Kim's full name by the end of the game.
"It was fun too see that, but we've got a long way to go and he's got a lot of things to learn," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "But it was great to see because that gives him confidence."
LOL
'The New Thing' Leads Terps to Commanding Victory
Jin Soo Kim's week began with what he thought was a joke and it ended with his right wrist extended in the air, watching another shot fall through the net as the Comcast Center crowd erupted once again. Kim turned to the student section and grinned as he ran back down the court. This, his body language said, was worth the wait.
Maryland easily defeated Northwood University, 104-60, on Saturday and for all the signs of progress the Terrapins displayed, simply having Kim, a 6-foot-7 freshman, out on the court might have been the most vivid revelation of all. Six days after discovering he would, in fact, be eligible to play this season, Kim scored 20 points, tying him for the game-high with teammate Landon Milbourne.
“You never know what a player is learning when he’s sitting out, you know, in the street clothes watching practice,” Coach Gary Williams said. “Jin Soo had some things down when he came on the court. He knew a couple of our basic plays, and I thought it showed today.”
At around 4:45 p.m. on Monday, a university compliance officer approached Williams during practice and informed him that the NCAA Clearinghouse had reneged on its original decision and cleared Kim to participate in all team activities for the upcoming season. To that point, Kim was forced to watch his teammates practice while the NCAA Clearinghouse reviewed online compliance courses he had taken during the fourth quarter of his final year of high school in South Kent, Conn.
Williams called the team together and gave them the news. Kim’s teammates began jumping up and down, hollering with delight. Kim was more subdued. He thought Williams was kidding.
But it was no joke. On Tuesday, Kim participated in the team’s scrimmage at Temple, and on Saturday, he entered an exhibition game against an NAIA school with just more than 13 minutes remaining in the first half. The crowd cheered wildly, as they would continue to do all afternoon whenever Kim did anything even remotely positive. “He’s the new thing,” Williams said afterward.
Without star guard Greivis Vasquez, who sat out the game for a violation of team policy, the Terrapins needed someone or something to spark the interest of their sparse audience. Kim filled that role, though not fully until the second half.
“I think he was very nervous out there, which is a good thing,” Williams said. “It’s nice to see players get nervous, especially in their first time on the court. Everything was real quick for him. I just think he settled down at halftime.”
Kim missed all five of his shots from the field in 10 minutes of action before the intermission. When he entered the game, he wore strips of beige wrap across his right shoulder, the one that had to be surgically repaired last spring. It was that injury that led Kim to take those online correspondence courses in the first place. He underwent the corrective surgery in his native South Korea for insurance purposes, which forced him to withdraw from classes at South Kent High School.
But inside an arena populated with supporters on a pleasant November afternoon, Kim’s shoulder injury and all the drama that followed it were far from the freshman’s mind. In the first half, he said he was worried about making three-pointers. That, after all, is what he is known for and why he was an attractive recruit for Williams’s squad.
At halftime, sophomore guard Cliff Tucker said he implored Kim to drive to the basket more if the outside shots weren’t falling. “He started going to the basket and getting a lot of offensive rebounds and put-backs,” Tucker said. “Once he started making all those, he got hot and making all his shots.”
Kim took the advice, effectively handling the ball with his left hand, even though he shoots with his right, as he made his way to the basket. He attacked aggressively, drawing fouls and often hitting the ensuing free throws. He showed more attentiveness on defense.
And then, the shots started falling. He sank a three-pointer from the corner after just more than five minutes had expired in the second half. The student section began chanting his name. He scored again three minutes later. Then again. And again.
“The first (half) I missed a lot of shots,” Kim said. “The second (half), I didn’t think about my shooting. I was just staying focused on the team, get loose ball and things like this, try to focus on other things and that made me more play hard.”
Kim finished the game shooting 6 for 13 from the field, though he shot just 1 for 6 from beyond the three-point line. He also went 7 for 8 from the free throw line.
“If I tell you guys that I’m not really focused on shooting on my play in the first (half), that’s a lie,” Kim said. “But my teammates told me just keep focused on your game, not shooting.”
Though it took Kim a while to allow his nerves to cool, the Terrapins jumped on Northwood from the very beginning. Maryland opened the contest with a 9-0 run and only appeared to let up during the final minutes of the first half.
Milbourne scored 20 points to tie Kim for the game-high and grabbed seven rebounds. Tucker, Eric Hayes, Dino Gregory and Braxton Dupree joined Milbourne in the starting lineup. Tucker scored 17 points on 6 for 11 shooting. Eric Hayes added 15 points and recorded five assists.
Adrian Bowie came off the bench to shoot 6 for 7 from the field and score 16 points. Dupree scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds, but shot just 3 for 9 from the field.
Freshman guard Sean Mosley warmed up but did not play due to a low ankle sprain. Williams said if it had been a regular season game, Mosley likely would have played.
“I thought offensively we executed pretty well at times,” Williams said. “And we played pretty aggressive offense in addition to being intense on defense. But, you know, it’s November 8th so you don’t get too carried away with anything that happens today.”
Greetings from Raleigh, N.C., where I'm about to go get some dinner after an interesting day (and a very engaging one given the sort of stuff I got to witness during the early afternoon).
Steve Whyno clearly left everyone with more than enough goodies from this afternoon's basketball exhibition. The goal on this end is not to get Wally Pipped.
Obviously, Jin Soo Kim might be a little more credible than I was giving him credit for as well. If he is a 15-minute-a-game-guy rather than half that, it will make Maryland a very curious team to defend throughout this season.
And, yes, Landon Milbourne and Cliff Tucker are going to be the Terps' stat-stuffers this year (beyond Greivis Vasquez). For those who indulge in a fantasy college basketball league (to the consternation of the NCAA), they would be ideal selections.
On the football side, Maryland didn't receive much help today. Clemson is officially pretty much done in the ACC's Atlantic Division, but both Florida State and Wake Forest capitalized on the Terps' loss on Thursday.
I'll have a rundown of the league's scenarios when before the end of the night, and obviously plenty more tomorrow in the regular Sunday features (D1scourse 30, Tracking the EagleBank Bowl, goodies from Ralph's Sunday teleconference).
Heads up: Maryland opens the regular season tonight against Bucknell. I will be there and hopefully Kim continues to impress.
LOL
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Landon Milbourne scored 16 points, Cliff Tucker added career-high 14 and Maryland spoiled the debut of Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen with an 81-52 victory Friday night.
Shaking off a sluggish start in the season opener, the Terrapins held Bucknell to 17 points in the first half and 32 percent shooting from the floor.
It was a rough beginning for Paulsen, who replaced longtime Bison coach Pat Flannery. Bucknell went 3-for-16 from 3-point range, was 11-for-23 at the foul line and committed 20 turnovers.
Patrick Behan scored 12 points for the Bison (0-1), who are 0-7 against Maryland and 1-23 against current Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
Early in the second half the Terrapins used baskets by Milbourne, Tucker and David Neal - the team's lone senior - to take a 39-18 lead. Tucker, a sophomore forward, finished 6-for-11 from the floor.
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