Now that the NBA draft is over, teams are starting to put together their summer league rosters. While most teams have not announced a final roster yet, several former Terps have already been picked to play.
Obviously, Greivis Vasquez (2006-10) will play for his new team, the Memphis Grizzlies, who picked him 28th overall in last week's draft. Also, James Gist (2004-08) is playing for the San Antonio Spurs again. The Spurs drafted Gist in 2008 in the second round, but he has never made their roster and has spent the past two seasons playing in Italy and Russia. Ekene Ibekwe (2003-07) will play for the Portland Trailblazers. (Via Ridiculous Upside.)
Vasquez's two fellow seniors from this season also have found summer league teams. Eric Hayes (2006-10) will be playing for the Washington Wizards (along with undrafted ex-Duke guard, ACC Player of the Year runner-up, and all-around funny face guy, Jon Scheyer). Landon Milbourne (2006-10) will be playing for the Atlanta Hawks. (Via Testudo Times and Gary Williams's Twitter feed.)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Parrish Brown Playing in Marietta, GA
Parrish Brown (2005-07) is now playing for the Marietta Storm of the World Basketball Association. The WBA plays its season May-July with teams in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. The league's intent is to give players with less than 5 years of pro experience exposure to scouts from the NBA, NBDL, and international leagues.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Greivis Vasquez Drafted by Memphis Grizzlies
As already written about by every other Maryland blog and reported on by every other local and Memphis newspaper, Greivis Vasquez (2006-10) was drafted by the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies with the 28th pick in the first round last night. Congratulations Greivis!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wilcox Staying with Pistons
Chris Wilcox (2000-02) has exercised the player option in his contract to stay with the Detroit Pistons for next season. The Detroit News has the story:
Pistons forward/center Chris Wilcox has exercised his player option for next season.
Wilcox, 27, will earn $3 million next season. Signed as a free agent last summer, Wilcox averaged 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 34 games last season.
Wilcox provides depth in the frontcourt, but he could prove valuable this summer in a trade package if matching salaries don't correspond.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Juan Dixon Could Be Ruled Eligible to Play Again Next Season
The Malaga, Spain, newspaper Sur reports that Juan Dixon (1998-2002) might be ruled eligible (translation) again by FIBA in time for next season. FIBA is expected to announce its ruling within the next week.
To summarize the story: while playing for Aris in Greece last fall, Dixon was given a drug test by the Greek Anti-Doping Agency. That agency completed its tests and announced a positive result for nandrolone in February, but by then, Dixon had switched teams to play for Unicaja Malaga in Spain. Juan was suspended indefinitely, pending further investigation. Normally, punishment for a positive steroid test would be a 2-year suspension by FIBA, but there are mitigating circumstances in Dixon's case. Nandrolone is found in some vitamin supplements and is legal in the US (though banned by the NBA); Dixon's lawyers contend that he took the supplement before signing in Greece. Also, the level of nandrolone in Dixon's system was so minimal that a second sample had to be sent to another laboratory in Germany to be confirmed because the Greek lab was uncertain about the result. This lends support to the claim that Dixon accidentally ingested small amounts of the steroid in a supplement without realizing it. Because of these factors, some sources are saying that Dixon's suspension might be only 3-6 months, and he has already served 5 months at this point. If he is available next season, Unicaja has expressed an interest in resigning him, as he was averaging nearly 19 points per game for them in ACB league games before the suspension.
To summarize the story: while playing for Aris in Greece last fall, Dixon was given a drug test by the Greek Anti-Doping Agency. That agency completed its tests and announced a positive result for nandrolone in February, but by then, Dixon had switched teams to play for Unicaja Malaga in Spain. Juan was suspended indefinitely, pending further investigation. Normally, punishment for a positive steroid test would be a 2-year suspension by FIBA, but there are mitigating circumstances in Dixon's case. Nandrolone is found in some vitamin supplements and is legal in the US (though banned by the NBA); Dixon's lawyers contend that he took the supplement before signing in Greece. Also, the level of nandrolone in Dixon's system was so minimal that a second sample had to be sent to another laboratory in Germany to be confirmed because the Greek lab was uncertain about the result. This lends support to the claim that Dixon accidentally ingested small amounts of the steroid in a supplement without realizing it. Because of these factors, some sources are saying that Dixon's suspension might be only 3-6 months, and he has already served 5 months at this point. If he is available next season, Unicaja has expressed an interest in resigning him, as he was averaging nearly 19 points per game for them in ACB league games before the suspension.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Morris and Barcelona Runners-Up for Spanish Title
After winning this year's Euroleague, the biggest basketball tournament in Europe, most people presumed that Terence Morris's (1997-2001) team, Regal Barcelona, would easily waltz to victory in the Spanish ACB Championship as well. But not only were they upset by Caja Laboral, Barca got swept 3-0 in the best-of-five championship series. In the final game, Morris scored the tying basket and then blocked Caja's final shot to force overtime. But at the end of OT, Morris tried to block a last second, game-tying basket again, but missed and fouled the shooter, who converted the three point play to end the series. The BallinEurope blog reacts to the unthinkable and has video highlights.
Regardless of the disappointment of the last game of the season, Slam Online says that Terence Morris was Barca's unselfish leader this season and a big key to their Euroleague title. (via Testudo Times)
Regardless of the disappointment of the last game of the season, Slam Online says that Terence Morris was Barca's unselfish leader this season and a big key to their Euroleague title. (via Testudo Times)
“Thing that’s crazy is every year I have played in Europe I’ve played in the finals,” said Morris following a Euroleague Quarterfinals game against Real Madrid. “Maybe this year could be a highlight year for me.” [...]
As a veteran Morris leads by example doing all of the little things on the court. His hustle for loose balls on both ends, ability to run the floor, willingness to make the extra pass, and movement without the ball has made him one of the best wing players in European basketball. [...]
Terence Morris plays the game with a selflessness that has helped to prolong his career while also winning wherever he has gone. He is proof that making the extra pass consistently helps everybody to reach their goals.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
World Cup Interlude
While we, of course, are focused on the Spanish ACB finals, involving Terence Morris and Regal Barcelona, apparently some people out there are interested in soccer this month.
Well, good news: there are two former Terp soccer players for you to cheer for on the US team: midfielder Maurice Edu (#19) (2004-05) and defender Clarence Goodson (#21) (2000-03).
Well, good news: there are two former Terp soccer players for you to cheer for on the US team: midfielder Maurice Edu (#19) (2004-05) and defender Clarence Goodson (#21) (2000-03).
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Nicholas & Jasikevicius Win Greek Championship
Drew Nicholas (1999-2003), Sarunas Jasikevicius (1994-98), and their team, Panathinaikos BC, won the Greek League Championship 3 games to 1 in a best-of-5 series against arch-rivals Olympaikos. This was Panathinaikos's eighth straight Greek championship.
But the above-linked FIBA game summary misses the real story of the night: the fan violence at Olympaikos's home arena. The game was called with 1:03 left in the 4th quarter after unruly fans caused several delays of the game (including throwing flares and firecrackers at the Panathinaikos bench). The BallinEurope blog has videos and commentary on the crazy ending to the championship series. Drew Nicholas scored the last points of the game before the referees called the game and awarded Panathinaikos the game 4 win by forfeit.
But the above-linked FIBA game summary misses the real story of the night: the fan violence at Olympaikos's home arena. The game was called with 1:03 left in the 4th quarter after unruly fans caused several delays of the game (including throwing flares and firecrackers at the Panathinaikos bench). The BallinEurope blog has videos and commentary on the crazy ending to the championship series. Drew Nicholas scored the last points of the game before the referees called the game and awarded Panathinaikos the game 4 win by forfeit.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Terps in the WNBA for 2010
As the WNBA season begins, three former Terrapin Women's players are playing in the league this summer: Marissa Coleman and Crystal Langhorne are both playing for the Washington Mystics again, and Kristi Toliver is with the Los Angeles Sparks this year (after playing for Chicago last year).
Thursday, June 03, 2010
2009-2010 Terps Overseas Wrap-Up
This season, former Terps played pro basketball in Greece, Italy, Spain, Austria, Romania, Israel, Australia, Argentina, Turkey, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Russia, and the Ukraine. Below, you'll find a brief summary of how they (and their teams) did this season, with links to their stats from Eurobasket.
Lonny Baxter played for Besiktas Istanbul of the Turkish Basketball League. Lonny averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in league play (stats). Besiktas finished in 4th place in the TBL and made it to the semi-finals of the TBL playoffs. They also competed in the Eurocup tournament, but finished in 3rd place in their opening round group and did not advance.
Andre Collins played for Canadian Solar Bologna of the Italian SerieA league. Andre averaged 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game (stats). CS Bologna finished in 5th place in SerieA's regular season, but lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs.
Nik Caner-Medley played for Estudiantes Madrid of the Spanish ACB league. Nik averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game (stats). Estudiantes finished in 7th place in the ACB and lost in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.
Juan Dixon left the NBA and headed to Europe this season. He started in Greece, playing for Aris Thessaloniki, where he averaged 12.5 points in 11 games in the Greek League and the Eurocup. In January, he left to play for the ACB's Unicaja Malaga. But Juan's season was cut short in February after testing positive on a drug test for using a banned supplement. In 7 games with Unicaja, Juan averaged 16.1 points per game (stats). Unicaja finished in 5th place in the ACB and lost in the semi-finals of the ACB playoffs. They also made it to the Top 16 of the Euroleague tournament, but finished in 3rd place in their round-robin group (Juan only played in the first 3 games of that round before his suspension). Aris ended up #7 in the Greek league and lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs and also made it to the quarter-finals of the Eurocup.
Rodney Elliott played for Paris-Levallois of the French LNB Pro A league. Rodney averaged 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30 games (stats). Paris finished in 7th place in the regular season, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs.
Travis Garrison started the season with Dalaman A.S. Pamukkale in Turkey's TB2L, and finished for Khimik-OPZ Yuzny of the Ukranian Superleague. Travis averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 10 games for Khimik, and 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds with Pamukkale (stats). Khimik finished 10th in their league and missed the playoffs, while Pamukkale finished 11th in the TBL B Division.
John Gilchrist played for the Australian NBL's Adelaide 36ers. John averaged 16.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the team (stats). The 36ers finished a disappointing 8th (last) place in the league and missed the playoffs.
James Gist played for Locomotiv Kuban of the Russian Superleague. James averaged 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17 league games, and 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds in the teams Eurochallenge tournament games (stats). Kuban finished in first place in the Superleague's A2 division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs, and was eliminated in the opening round of the Eurochallenge tournament.
Ekene Ibekwe played for Genc Banvitliler of the Turkish TB2L (2nd division league). Ekene averaged 21.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game (stats) in 10 games. The team finished in 10th place in TB2L Group B, and did not make the playoffs.
Sarunas Jasikevicius played for Panathinaikos in the Greek A1 league, along with teammate Drew Nicholas. Sarunas averaged 8.3 points and 2.5 assists per game in the regular season, and 5.2 points and 2.5 assists in 6 Euroleague games (stats). Sarunas was injured in February and missed a large chunk of the season in both Greek league play and Euroleague games. Panathinaikos made it to the Euroleague Top 16, but finished 3rd in their group and did not advance. Panathinaikos finished the regular season in 1st place in the Greek league and is currently still playing in the Finals of their playoffs. (Update: Panathinaikos Wins Greek Championship!)
Mike Jones spent the winter with two teams in Argentina, starting out with 7 games for Penarol Mar del Plata, and finishing with 11 games for Gimnasia Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia. Overall, Mike averaged 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists for the two teams (stats). Gimnasia finished in 13th place in the regular season and missed the playoffs, while Penarol went on to finish in 1st and win the national championship without Jones.
Terence Morris played for Regal FC Barcelona of the Spanish ACB league. Terence averaged 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in the ACB and 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20 Euroleague games (stats). Regal Barca won the Euroleague championship, finished the regular season in 1st place in the ACB, and is currently still playing in the Finals of the ACB playoffs. (Update: Regal Barca runners-up for Spanish Championship.)
Dave Neal played for the Ulster Elks of the Irish Superleague. Dave averaged 19.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals (stats). Ulster finished in 4th place in the Superleague North division, but won the championship in the Ulster Premier League, a smaller league they also play in, and were runners-up in the College Varsity League. During the season, Dave blogged about his experiences playing in Northern Ireland.
Drew Nicholas played for Panathinaikos of the Greek A1 league, along with teammate Sarunas Jasikevicius. Drew averaged 9.6 points and 2.0 assists in Greek league play, and 10.9 points and 2.0 assists in 15 Euroleague games (stats). Panathinaikos made it to the Euroleague Top 16, but finished 3rd in their group and did not advance. Panathinaikos finished the regular season in 1st place in the Greek league and is currently still playing in the Finals of their playoffs. (Update: Panathinaikos Wins Greek Championship!)
Bambale Osby played for three teams this year, starting with Ironi Kfar Hamaccabia Ramat Gan in Isreal, then Allianz Swans Gmunden in Austria, and finally finishing up the season with BC Arges Pitesti of Romania. His biggest success came in Romania, where he averaged 12.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 7 games (stats). Pitesti finished 6th in the league and lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Gmunden went on without Osby to finish 2nd place in the league regular season and win the Austrian championship. Ramat Gan finished in 11th place in the Israeli league and missed the playoffs.
Laron Profit played for Libertad Sunchales of Argentina's LigaA. Laron averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in league games, and 14.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 6 South American Liga Sudamericana tournament (stats). Libertad finished 4th in the regular season, but were upset in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, and they lost the decisive final game of the Liga Sudamericana.
Ryan Randle played for MGS Grand-Saconnex Basket of the Swiss LNA league. Ryan averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game (stats). MGS finished in last place in the league and missed the playoffs.
Jamar Smith played for Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia of the Italian Lega2. Jamar averaged 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game (stats). Trenkwalder finished in 5th place in the regular season, but lost in the semi-finals of the Lega2 playoffs.
[Also, see: 2009-2010 Terps in the NBA, 2009-2010 Terps in the Minor Leagues]
Lonny Baxter played for Besiktas Istanbul of the Turkish Basketball League. Lonny averaged 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in league play (stats). Besiktas finished in 4th place in the TBL and made it to the semi-finals of the TBL playoffs. They also competed in the Eurocup tournament, but finished in 3rd place in their opening round group and did not advance.
Andre Collins played for Canadian Solar Bologna of the Italian SerieA league. Andre averaged 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game (stats). CS Bologna finished in 5th place in SerieA's regular season, but lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs.
Nik Caner-Medley played for Estudiantes Madrid of the Spanish ACB league. Nik averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game (stats). Estudiantes finished in 7th place in the ACB and lost in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.
Juan Dixon left the NBA and headed to Europe this season. He started in Greece, playing for Aris Thessaloniki, where he averaged 12.5 points in 11 games in the Greek League and the Eurocup. In January, he left to play for the ACB's Unicaja Malaga. But Juan's season was cut short in February after testing positive on a drug test for using a banned supplement. In 7 games with Unicaja, Juan averaged 16.1 points per game (stats). Unicaja finished in 5th place in the ACB and lost in the semi-finals of the ACB playoffs. They also made it to the Top 16 of the Euroleague tournament, but finished in 3rd place in their round-robin group (Juan only played in the first 3 games of that round before his suspension). Aris ended up #7 in the Greek league and lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs and also made it to the quarter-finals of the Eurocup.
Rodney Elliott played for Paris-Levallois of the French LNB Pro A league. Rodney averaged 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30 games (stats). Paris finished in 7th place in the regular season, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the playoffs.
Travis Garrison started the season with Dalaman A.S. Pamukkale in Turkey's TB2L, and finished for Khimik-OPZ Yuzny of the Ukranian Superleague. Travis averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 10 games for Khimik, and 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds with Pamukkale (stats). Khimik finished 10th in their league and missed the playoffs, while Pamukkale finished 11th in the TBL B Division.
John Gilchrist played for the Australian NBL's Adelaide 36ers. John averaged 16.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the team (stats). The 36ers finished a disappointing 8th (last) place in the league and missed the playoffs.
James Gist played for Locomotiv Kuban of the Russian Superleague. James averaged 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17 league games, and 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds in the teams Eurochallenge tournament games (stats). Kuban finished in first place in the Superleague's A2 division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs, and was eliminated in the opening round of the Eurochallenge tournament.
Ekene Ibekwe played for Genc Banvitliler of the Turkish TB2L (2nd division league). Ekene averaged 21.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game (stats) in 10 games. The team finished in 10th place in TB2L Group B, and did not make the playoffs.
Sarunas Jasikevicius played for Panathinaikos in the Greek A1 league, along with teammate Drew Nicholas. Sarunas averaged 8.3 points and 2.5 assists per game in the regular season, and 5.2 points and 2.5 assists in 6 Euroleague games (stats). Sarunas was injured in February and missed a large chunk of the season in both Greek league play and Euroleague games. Panathinaikos made it to the Euroleague Top 16, but finished 3rd in their group and did not advance. Panathinaikos finished the regular season in 1st place in the Greek league and is currently still playing in the Finals of their playoffs. (Update: Panathinaikos Wins Greek Championship!)
Mike Jones spent the winter with two teams in Argentina, starting out with 7 games for Penarol Mar del Plata, and finishing with 11 games for Gimnasia Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia. Overall, Mike averaged 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists for the two teams (stats). Gimnasia finished in 13th place in the regular season and missed the playoffs, while Penarol went on to finish in 1st and win the national championship without Jones.
Terence Morris played for Regal FC Barcelona of the Spanish ACB league. Terence averaged 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in the ACB and 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20 Euroleague games (stats). Regal Barca won the Euroleague championship, finished the regular season in 1st place in the ACB, and is currently still playing in the Finals of the ACB playoffs. (Update: Regal Barca runners-up for Spanish Championship.)
Dave Neal played for the Ulster Elks of the Irish Superleague. Dave averaged 19.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals (stats). Ulster finished in 4th place in the Superleague North division, but won the championship in the Ulster Premier League, a smaller league they also play in, and were runners-up in the College Varsity League. During the season, Dave blogged about his experiences playing in Northern Ireland.
Drew Nicholas played for Panathinaikos of the Greek A1 league, along with teammate Sarunas Jasikevicius. Drew averaged 9.6 points and 2.0 assists in Greek league play, and 10.9 points and 2.0 assists in 15 Euroleague games (stats). Panathinaikos made it to the Euroleague Top 16, but finished 3rd in their group and did not advance. Panathinaikos finished the regular season in 1st place in the Greek league and is currently still playing in the Finals of their playoffs. (Update: Panathinaikos Wins Greek Championship!)
Bambale Osby played for three teams this year, starting with Ironi Kfar Hamaccabia Ramat Gan in Isreal, then Allianz Swans Gmunden in Austria, and finally finishing up the season with BC Arges Pitesti of Romania. His biggest success came in Romania, where he averaged 12.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 7 games (stats). Pitesti finished 6th in the league and lost in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. Gmunden went on without Osby to finish 2nd place in the league regular season and win the Austrian championship. Ramat Gan finished in 11th place in the Israeli league and missed the playoffs.
Laron Profit played for Libertad Sunchales of Argentina's LigaA. Laron averaged 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in league games, and 14.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 6 South American Liga Sudamericana tournament (stats). Libertad finished 4th in the regular season, but were upset in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, and they lost the decisive final game of the Liga Sudamericana.
Ryan Randle played for MGS Grand-Saconnex Basket of the Swiss LNA league. Ryan averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game (stats). MGS finished in last place in the league and missed the playoffs.
Jamar Smith played for Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia of the Italian Lega2. Jamar averaged 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game (stats). Trenkwalder finished in 5th place in the regular season, but lost in the semi-finals of the Lega2 playoffs.
[Also, see: 2009-2010 Terps in the NBA, 2009-2010 Terps in the Minor Leagues]
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
2009-2010 Terps in the Minor Leagues Wrap-Up
Chris McCray averaged 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Developmental League. Sioux Falls finished in 2nd place in the East Conference, good for the #4 seed overall in the playoffs. In Sioux Falls' first round playoff loss, Chris upped his game and averaged 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in 3 games. The Skyforce is the NBDL affiliate of the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
DJ Strawberry averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game playing for the NBA D-League's Reno Bighorns. Reno finished 3rd in the West Conference, and earned the #6 seed overall for the playoffs. In a first round playoff loss, DJ tallied 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. The Bighorns are the NBDL affiliate of the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic.
Byron Mouton averaged 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for the Maryland Greenhawks of the Premier Basketball League. The Greenhawks finished a disappointing 3-17, last place in the league. After the season, Byron sat down and recapped the season on camera for the team's website.
[Also, see: 2009-2010 Terps in the NBA, 2009-2010 Terps Overseas]
DJ Strawberry averaged 13.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game playing for the NBA D-League's Reno Bighorns. Reno finished 3rd in the West Conference, and earned the #6 seed overall for the playoffs. In a first round playoff loss, DJ tallied 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. The Bighorns are the NBDL affiliate of the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic.
Byron Mouton averaged 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game for the Maryland Greenhawks of the Premier Basketball League. The Greenhawks finished a disappointing 3-17, last place in the league. After the season, Byron sat down and recapped the season on camera for the team's website.
[Also, see: 2009-2010 Terps in the NBA, 2009-2010 Terps Overseas]
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