"I like what he's doing on the court."

[accinfo]

You would think the big money donors would have some pride, but apparently being buddy-buddy's with Williams is more important than championship level basketball. They are put of the problem and Anderson is nothing more than a lapdog for those donors. Friedgen didn't kiss many rings and it cost him his job.

Apparently the only thing Williams is good at doing anymore is letting the big money donors kiss his ring as they sit around drinking their Brandy in their smoking jackets reminiscing about the national championship Juan Dixon won them.

This is one of the biggest deceiving things around Maryland Athletics. The problem is there aren't that many "big money donors" at Maryland. There breath of high paying donors is one of the lowest in the ACC. That despite being in one of the more affluent areas in the conference. Everyone says that the current big contributors are happy with Gary and that is probably true. The problem is there isn't enough of them. Gary's sparkling personality and the basic lack of interest in Maryland Basketball hasn't created this large group of people giving money. So yes if you take a survey of the people who contribute the majority of the money to the school they are happy with Gary. The problem are the people who don't care and don't give any money.

[accinfo]

Too many stories out there support the theory that Gary's lazy, not selective or above "wallowing in the muck of college recruiting". Like it or not, like many sports, college basketball has evolved and Gary has not.

I also eagerly anticipate John Domen's contribution to this thread!

I wouldn't call it laziness as much as his basic inability to relate personally with AAU coaches, parents of recruits, recruits, etc. People like calling it "sucking up" etc. I call it doing your job. It is sales and it is part of a college basketball coaches job. Like calling a recruit personally once a week. I know of a former assistant who pretended to be Gary on the phone when calling a recruit because the kid wanted to hear from Gary not the assistant. You may say he is lazy, but it is more he just doesn't like doing it.

[Dr. FLK]

Comments like this are what drive me nuts about Gary:

"I do it a little differently," Williams said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I don't cheat."

He sets up this phony, pretentious defense: All successful recruiters cheat.

Now we're supposed to believe that the reason he relies on middle-tier talents is because he's some sort of martyr, and not that he just doesn't put in the effort into recruiting. It's not that he doesn't talk to AAU players. It's not that he doesn't make enough visits to recuirts, or that he relies on his assistants to do it all. Nope...it's that he's the load, angelic figure in the demonic world of college basketball recruiting. Well jeez...I guess the halo just doesn't show up on my television.

SOURCE

[ccbird]

Comments like this are what drive me nuts about Gary:

He sets up this phony, pretentious defense: All successful recruiters cheat.

Now we're supposed to believe that the reason he relies on middle-tier talents is because he's some sort of martyr, and not that he just doesn't put in the effort into recruiting. It's not that he doesn't talk to AAU players. It's not that he doesn't make enough visits to recuirts, or that he relies on his assistants to do it all. Nope...it's that he's the load, angelic figure in the demonic world of college basketball recruiting. Well jeez...I guess the halo just doesn't show up on my television.

SOURCE

Yeah, thes are the things that drive me crazy with Gary. You'll pretty much never hear Gary take any of the blame for anything. It's as bad as one of other go to lines.

"We are the only ACC team to have 7 conference wins 18 straight years" or "we've won 19 games 17 striaght years now". It's like he goes out and finds something, anything, no matter how improperly it's put into perspective to talk his program up so he doesn't have to admit to having substandard years.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Yeah, thes are the things that drive me crazy with Gary. You'll pretty much never hear Gary take any of the blame for anything. It's as bad as one of other go to lines.

"We are the only ACC team to have 7 conference wins 18 straight years" or "we've won 19 games 17 striaght years now". It's like he goes out and finds something, anything, no matter how improperly it's put into perspective to talk his program up so he doesn't have to admit to having substandard years.

You're right, because NO coach has EVER done anything like THAT! :laughlol:

[TakebackOPACY]

I wouldn't call it laziness as much as his basic inability to relate personally with AAU coaches, parents of recruits, recruits, etc. People like calling it "sucking up" etc. I call it doing your job. It is sales and it is part of a college basketball coaches job. Like calling a recruit personally once a week. I know of a former assistant who pretended to be Gary on the phone when calling a recruit because the kid wanted to hear from Gary not the assistant. You may say he is lazy, but it is more he just doesn't like doing it.

Yeah, thes are the things that drive me crazy with Gary. You'll pretty much never hear Gary take any of the blame for anything. It's as bad as one of other go to lines.

"We are the only ACC team to have 7 conference wins 18 straight years" or "we've won 19 games 17 striaght years now". It's like he goes out and finds something, anything, no matter how improperly it's put into perspective to talk his program up so he doesn't have to admit to having substandard years.

Or maybe it's sales and it's part of his job.

Have the Terps been to the NCAA tournament three out of the past four years? Or is it just three out of the past six? Or is it fourteen out of the past seventeen? Or is it just fourteen out of the past twenty-two?

A few thoughts:

• He is one year removed from a 24-8 overall record, a 13-3 conference record, a well-deserved Conference Coach of the Year, and a buzzer beater against a Final Four team away from at least a Sweet 16.
• I'm not sure why all this venom is coming out now. With the seniors who graduated last year, we knew this was a down year. If they hadn't lost to Virginia, they would've done exactly what they were predicted to do; sixth place in a weaker than normal ACC.
• On the other hand, it's silly to think that the big donors to the athletic department are "happy" just because some of them aren't calling for Gary's head.

[Dr. FLK]

Or maybe it's sales and it's part of his job.

Have the Terps been to the NCAA tournament three out of the past four years? Or is it just three out of the past six? Or is it fourteen out of the past seventeen? Or is it just fourteen out of the past twenty-two?

A few thoughts:

• He is one year removed from a 24-8 overall record, a 13-3 conference record, a well-deserved Conference Coach of the Year, and a buzzer beater against a Final Four team away from at least a Sweet 16.
• I'm not sure why all this venom is coming out now. With the seniors who graduated last year, we knew this was a down year. If they hadn't lost to Virginia, they would've done exactly what they were predicted to do; sixth place in a weaker than normal ACC.
• On the other hand, it's silly to think that the big donors to the athletic department are "happy" just because some of them aren't calling for Gary's head.

You're not sure? 4 NITs in 7 years? A lack of legit, top-tier recruits. A refusal to admit his recruiting "plan" doesn't work.

He was a well-deserved coach of the year. I think he's a very good in-game coach. But, his poor recruiting and unwillingness to adapt are wearing thin on many people. Recruiting is a gigantic part of being a head coach, much more so than when he started coaching. You can't just send assistants out and see what happens anymore. The HC MUST be active - very active - in meeting with players, parents, HS coaches, AAU coaches...whether they like it or not. And, none of those things happen at UMCP. I'm not sure how that can be a mystery.

[PrivateO]

Comments like this are what drive me nuts about Gary:

He sets up this phony, pretentious defense: All successful recruiters cheat.

Now we're supposed to believe that the reason he relies on middle-tier talents is because he's some sort of martyr, and not that he just doesn't put in the effort into recruiting. It's not that he doesn't talk to AAU players. It's not that he doesn't make enough visits to recuirts, or that he relies on his assistants to do it all. Nope...it's that he's the load, angelic figure in the demonic world of college basketball recruiting. Well jeez...I guess the halo just doesn't show up on my television.

SOURCE

Yeah, there are a lot of cheaters in the NCAA who go around the recruiting rules. But the majority of coaches play fair and still get top kids.

[TakebackOPACY]

You're not sure? 4 NITs in 7 years? A lack of legit, top-tier recruits. A refusal to admit his recruiting "plan" doesn't work.

He was a well-deserved coach of the year. I think he's a very good in-game coach. But, his poor recruiting and unwillingness to adapt are wearing thin on many people. Recruiting is a gigantic part of being a head coach, much more so than when he started coaching. You can't just send assistants out and see what happens anymore. The HC MUST be active - very active - in meeting with players, parents, HS coaches, AAU coaches...whether they like it or not. And, none of those things happen at UMCP. I'm not sure how that can be a mystery.

I didn't say I'm not sure why people expect more or why people are disappointed with where the team is. People should be disappointed with where the team is. I'm disappointed with where the team is. What I said was, "I'm not sure why all the venom is coming out now." A team that projected to the NIT is probably going to the NIT. Why, all of the sudden, is everyone all emotional about it? Why, all of the sudden, would Gary be any more on the chopping block than he was a year ago? His team just did pretty much what we thought it was going to do.

This year was always about rebuilding. We knew freshmen were going to get a lot of playing time. We knew this team was going to struggle. We knew they had to surprise us a bit just to get onto the bubble. Now, the reaction seems to be, "Oh my God! I can't believe they were what we thought they were!" It doesn't make sense.

[Dr. FLK]

I didn't say I'm not sure why people expect more or why people are disappointed with where the team is. People should be disappointed with where the team is. I'm disappointed with where the team is. What I said was, "I'm not sure why all the venom is coming out now." A team that projected to the NIT is probably going to the NIT. Why, all of the sudden, is everyone all emotional about it? Why, all of the sudden, would Gary be any more on the chopping block than he was a year ago? His team just did pretty much what we thought it was going to do.

This year was always about rebuilding. We knew freshmen were going to get a lot of playing time. We knew this team was going to struggle. We knew they had to surprise us a bit just to get onto the bubble. Now, the reaction seems to be, "Oh my God! I can't believe they were what we thought they were!" It doesn't make sense.

I gotcha. But, I don't think it's "just coming out" now. I think it's "still coming out" now. This isn't new.

[Tony-OH]

I gotcha. But, I don't think it's "just coming out" now. I think it's "still coming out" now. This isn't new.

It certainly hasn't been just coming out now with me. I've been beating this drum for years, I just have more ammunition thanks to Maryland's NIT bids..

[JohnD]

Another thing Jason Reid brought up yesterday in his column -- it DOESN'T have to be a black and white issue. I like that Gary doesn't cheat, doesn't play the sleazy, schmoozing game with street hustlers trying to make a buck off teenagers. I also like that assistants like Ehsan and Bino are pretty good recruiters. I think that's going to help next year. I think next year's team, with Jordan Williams coming back, is going to be back in the tournament again.

But I wish Gary would just be more personable with recruits and coaches. It seems like he feels that if he takes just one step in that direction, suddenly he's going to be like Larry Brown did and hire Danny Manning's dad to be a coach, or be like South Florida and hire Gus Gilchrist's handler to a job (which, kudos to him, he wouldn't do, thus leading to Gus' transfer), or any of those other schools that find a way to pay money to schleps trying to make a buck off teens.

You can be principled and personable.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Another thing Jason Reid brought up yesterday in his column -- it DOESN'T have to be a black and white issue. I like that Gary doesn't cheat, doesn't play the sleazy, schmoozing game with street hustlers trying to make a buck off teenagers. I also like that assistants like Ehsan and Bino are pretty good recruiters. I think that's going to help next year. I think next year's team, with Jordan Williams coming back, is going to be back in the tournament again.

But I wish Gary would just be more personable with recruits and coaches. It seems like he feels that if he takes just one step in that direction, suddenly he's going to be like Larry Brown did and hire Danny Manning's dad to be a coach, or be like South Florida and hire Gus Gilchrist's handler to a job (which, kudos to him, he wouldn't do, thus leading to Gus' transfer), or any of those other schools that find a way to pay money to schleps trying to make a buck off teens.

You can be principled and personable.

Sure, but he's deeper inside than any of us. He could be seeing that kind of thing going on every day with recruits that he is competing for with other schools.

[JohnD]

So? When someone sticks their hand out, you just say no. But at least you get yourself out there. The examples I cited all involved coaches giving in to handlers.

[BaltimoreTerp]

So? When someone sticks their hand out, you just say no. But at least you get yourself out there. The examples I cited all involved coaches giving in to handlers.

I know. I'm not saying you're wrong. But I think its obvious to all of us how emotional a guy he is, so seeing something like that every day could seriously sour someone with strong beliefs on the recruiting scene.

The next argument, I know, is going to be, "Well, then he should step aside for someone else who is still willing to do those things," and I'm not saying that it would be an incorrect statement. But that also likely wouldn't be the only thing behind his thinking.

I can see him still loving to coach the players he can get. Particularly since he has shown over the years the ability to get the most out of certain kinds of players.

I can also see him not wanting to see the program he has built damaged by someone else who could come in and cause that kind of harm. Particularly since he saw what happened in the Bob Wade era when he had to come in and clean up the mess. He obviously loves the university and the program, and I feel as though, from what I've seen, heard and read from and about him over the years, he'd rather go to a decade's worth of NITs than see the program get into serious regulatory trouble.

And again, I'm not saying that is right or wrong (most would seem to think wrong, apparently). It's just the read I get from him.