Article on why Gary needs to be fired

[Dr. FLK]

I think "mediocre" is the wrong word. The definition of "mediocre" is "of moderate or low quality." The worst you can say about Gary is that is has been "somewhat above average" of late.

I'm going to say this for the fifth time: I'm not trying to argue that Gary must stay. I'm simply pointing out that there's a pretty good chance that if he is replaced, his replacement won't do as well as he's done, even recently. So, you have to think hard about it, especially in light of what Gary has meant to this program.

Somewhat above average is pretty darn close to moderate, isn't it? Personally, the downside to having a replacement come in and not meet the standards of the last 7 years really isn't all that worrisome to me. Would 5 NITs in 7 years be all that much worse? But, choosing the right coach has tons more upside. Yes, he's meant a lot to the program historically. But, so has Lefty...you want to bring him back too?

Again, I'm not saying he needs to be pushed out now. But someone needs to kick him in the rear about recruiting. He gets paid too much to only do half of his job. And, if he doesn't pick it up after being told, then IMO they have no choice. He doesn't make $2mil to "just coach".

[Tony-OH]

I think everything you are saying is correct.

However, in Tony's defense, I think his point is that while there may be downside, that the downside doesn't outweigh the "risk" of keeping Gary around.

Now, you can disagree with that but I don't think Tony is naive enough to think that a new coach will come in, wave a magic wand and that everything will be perfect...he knows its risky...But its the idea of making a change and that he feels that is what is needed for the program to progress forward.

(hope i didnt put words in your mouth Tony...this is just what I think you and others are getting at)

No, I think you get the gist of what I'm saying. I've concluded that Williams can not effectively keep the Terps at the level they need to be at on a year in year out basis. I don't think he has the energy or desire to work the recruiting scene like the top programs coaches need to do nowadays.

There's a similar thing that happened with Mt St Joe Wrestling here in Baltimore. They were always one of the best programs around but when their old coach quit, they replaced him with a guy who didn't have the energy or desire to recruit wrestlers or even return phone calls to the parents of perspective recruits (who were recruited by the previous coach). Back in his days, kids just came to St Joe because that's what they wanted to do. Now, with programs like Archbishop Spalding, McDonough, Archbishop Curley, and Loyola all as competition, St. Joe saw them lose three top recruits to those schools. St Joe crashed this season while Spalding became the #1 team in the state (they got two of his failed recruits) and while Spalding started three Freshman that all placed in the states, not one single St Joe freshman or sophomore placed.

In my opinion this is what happened to Maryland. Gary won his NV and thought kids were just going to want to come to Maryland. We have story after story of Gary not showing the interest in recruiting and we've seen potential recruits go elsewhere because Gary never even met them.

Williams like to use the excuse of "playing by the rules" and not "being a cheater" and his supporters eat that up and use it as part of their reason to support him. However, what he and they don't like to admit is that he doesn't even do the little things to get potential recruits to sign. To me. that's just unconscionable. If he doesn't have the interest or energy to meet a top recruit and his parents, I don't know why they would even consider Maryland (lot of them are not). this is not playing by the rules, this is just laziness.

I don't think I overestimate Maryland's place in college basketball at all. They should be a perennial top 25 team and should be the third best program in the ACC. Can they have a down year here and there, sure, but they should be bouncing back to a 5th seed or higher afterwards, not skimping in as a 7 seed or lower which is what a lot of Maryland teams have done.

The argument about what Gary did holds no relevance to what's happening now in my opinion. This is not a one or two years down period. We have a lot date that shows that Maryland has become an afterthought on the major college basketball scene and even worse, has fallen below football school like Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech in the ACC.

Could the new guy they hire be worse? Sure, that's a possibility, but I don't see Maryland rebounding into any type of college basketball powerhouse again under Williams. He doesn't have the energy or desire to do so any longer and the recruiting stories prove that out.

The new guy will have the energy and desire to rebuild the program so that won't be a problem (As long as Anderson hires the right guy). Whether he becomes the next young Gary Williams is yet to be seen, but the program needs to try something because the status quo is embarrassing.

[Tony-OH]

OK, I compiled a list from the six "power conferences" -- ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, SEC and Pac 10. Of the 73 schools in those conferences:

12 teams have gone all 5 years (Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Louisville, Pitt, Marquette, Villanova, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Tennessee, Duke)

11 teams have gone 4 times (Georgetown, Notre Dame, West Virginia, UCLA, USC, Arizona, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, UNC, Clemson)

9 teams have gone 3 times (Kansas State, Missouri, Syracuse, UConn, Washington, Illinois, Florida, Florida State, Maryland)

So, that puts Maryland in the top 44% or so of "power conference" schools. Pretty consistent with where they rank in the ACC.

How many sweet 16s? How much top 25 time? You are cherry picking stats and are not looking at the big picture. Their performance over the last seven years is embarrassing (missing 4 out of the last seven year and not even making the post season this year).

You can lead the apologists all you like, and you can be happy with this mediocre brand of basektball and you can even be happy with 7 or 8 wins in the ACC, but I beleive the Maryland program is much better than that. I was under Lefty, and it was under a young Gary Williams. It can be again with the right coach.

[Sports Guy]

I really don't think any of Tony's points are wrong...they are all very valid.

I guess where I would stand is that the recruiting is getting better and that Gary deserves a chance with those guys.

[Tony-OH]

Somewhat above average is pretty darn close to moderate, isn't it? Personally, the downside to having a replacement come in and not meet the standards of the last 7 years really isn't all that worrisome to me. Would 5 NITs in 7 years be all that much worse? But, choosing the right coach has tons more upside. Yes, he's meant a lot to the program historically. But, so has Lefty...you want to bring him back too?

Again, I'm not saying he needs to be pushed out now. But someone needs to kick him in the rear about recruiting. He gets paid too much to only do half of his job. And, if he doesn't pick it up after being told, then IMO they have no choice. He doesn't make $2mil to "just coach".

Sorry, but you need to get off the fence. Who is going to "kick him in the rear?" What makes you think that Gary even thinks he needs to change? What makes you think he has any intention of suddenly working hard or showing interest in being a better recruiter? I don't see how anyone can see all of his shortcomings like you have expressed in multiple posts and still say, "Well, I'm not saying he needs go"

When then? What makes you think he has any intentions of improving his shortcomings?

Even if the team is better next year, which is by default it probably will be just because of how bad this senior and junior class is, we'll still be in the same position with a coach that doesn't recruit. If Williams leaves, which if I'm him I'm running to the NBA, this team is not going to be better and we'll have another down year while talking about him the next class is really going to be the difference.

I just think we have enough information to make a decision one way or the other. Either you see the problems and don't think Maryland will get back to a power program, or you believe that next class is always going to be the better class and the difference maker and that this program can become a powerhouse with a head coach who doesn't care about recruiting.

[Danielos38]

Gary is about to get a top 10 small forward in Justin Anderson. Already have Nick Faust signed up... keeping the local propects home. What say you, haters?

[Munson]

has fallen below football school like Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech in the ACC.

This statement might be a little extreme. Sure MD has struggled with these three teams since they joined the ACC, but to say MD has fallen below them is a little harsh IMO. VT has made one NCAA tournament, BC has made three, and I don't think Miami has made it at all since joining the ACC. Someone please correct my numbers if they are inaccurate.

I agree with everyone that says the recruiting needs to improve. This is a given. IMO, Gary should coach his final two years of his contract and go from there. I don't think there's any chance that MD is going to buy out the coaches of their two major sports in the same year.

[Lateralus]

That's my whole point. Why is it assumed that the next coach is DEFINITELY going to be better?

Really? I think most fans assume that the next coach is DEFINITELY going to be worse and that's their defense for wanting Gary to coach at UMD forever.

[Tony-OH]

This statement might be a little extreme. Sure MD has struggled with these three teams since they joined the ACC, but to say MD has fallen below them is a little harsh IMO. VT has made one NCAA tournament, BC has made three, and I don't think Miami has made it at all since joining the ACC. Someone please correct my numbers if they are inaccurate.

I agree with everyone that says the recruiting needs to improve. This is a given. IMO, Gary should coach his final two years of his contract and go from there. I don't think there's any chance that MD is going to buy out the coaches of their two major sports in the same year.

The Terps are 9-23 against them since they entered the ACC.

[Tony-OH]

Gary is about to get a top 10 small forward in Justin Anderson. Already have Nick Faust signed up... keeping the local propects home. What say you, haters?

Rewind... Gary just got James Gist and has a Dino Gregory, Tucker, and Mosely on the radar. What say you haters now?

[Danielos38]

Rewind... Gary just got James Gist and has a Dino Gregory, Tucker, and Mosely on the radar. What say you haters now?

I say that, in the unlikely even that Jordan Williams comes back for his senior season, Maryland will be in the Elite 8, at the very least. (barring and big injuries). I guarantee it.

[Frobby]

How many sweet 16s? How much top 25 time? You are cherry picking stats and are not looking at the big picture. Their performance over the last seven years is embarrassing (missing 4 out of the last seven year and not even making the post season this year).

You can lead the apologists all you like, and you can be happy with this mediocre brand of basektball and you can even be happy with 7 or 8 wins in the ACC, but I beleive the Maryland program is much better than that. I was under Lefty, and it was under a young Gary Williams. It can be again with the right coach.

Tony:

1. I'm not cherry-picking stats. I took the time (unlike anyone else in the thread) to go through 73 teams and see how many NCAA tournaments they had been to in the last five years. It took me a long time, and believe it or not, I don't have an infinite amount of time to spend on this. If someone else wants to present other information, they can be my guest.

2. I'm not a Gary Williams apologist. I didn't go to Maryland, I went to Duke. I have no stake in whether Gary stays or goes.

3. As a Duke fan, obviously I'm happy that Duke took a risk on a young, energetic coach named Mike Krzyzewski in 1981. But, I've also watched several of his top assistants, all highly touted, go to major programs with a lot of energy and have very mixed success -- Quin Snyder had some success at Missouri but caught up in some NCAA violations (if I recall correctly), Tommy Amaker went to Seton Hall and then Michigan and got no traction at either place (now he's doing well in the Ivy League), Jeff Capel did well at Virginia Commonwealth but just got fired at Oklahoma, David Henderson was fired after three years at Delaware, Johnny Dawkins is struggling a bit at Stanford. I've watched a ton of coaches come and go in the ACC, including quite a few who had success at lower profile programs but couldn't win in the ACC. Just look at the parade of coaches at UVa over the last 20 years. I'm simply saying, it's not that easy. Not nearly as easy as you seem to think it is.

[BaltimoreTerp]

The Terps are 9-23 against them since they entered the ACC.

Just for facts' sake, looking through the records at Sports Reference's college basketball site, I'm coming up with 10-20 for Maryland against those three schools since the 2004-05 season. I could be reading that wrong, though; where did you get that record?

[BaltimoreTerp]

Tony:

1. I'm not cherry-picking stats. I took the time (unlike anyone else in the thread) to go through 73 teams and see how many NCAA tournaments they had been to in the last five years. It took me a long time, and believe it or not, I don't have an infinite amount of time to spend on this. If someone else wants to present other information, they can be my guest.

2. I'm not a Gary Williams apologist. I didn't go to Maryland, I went to Duke. I have no stake in whether Gary stays or goes.

3. As a Duke fan, obviously I'm happy that Duke took a risk on a young, energetic coach named Mike Krzyzewski in 1981. But, I've also watched several of his top assistants, all highly touted, go to major programs with a lot of energy and have very mixed success -- Quin Snyder had some success at Missouri but caught up in some NCAA violations (if I recall correctly), Tommy Amaker went to Seton Hall and then Michigan and got no traction at either place (now he's doing well in the Ivy League), Jeff Capel did well at Virginia Commonwealth but just got fired at Oklahoma, David Henderson was fired after three years at Delaware, Johnny Dawkins is struggling a bit at Stanford. I've watched a ton of coaches come and go in the ACC, including quite a few who had success at lower profile programs but couldn't win in the ACC. Just look at the parade of coaches at UVa over the last 20 years. I'm simply saying, it's not that easy. Not nearly as easy as you seem to think it is.

You must spread, blah blah blah...

[BaltimoreTerp]

This is where you lose me. MD has slipped below VT? By whose standards? VT hasn't made the NCAA tourney at all in the last four years and they've made it once since 1995 (2007).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_Hokies_men%27s_basketball

Miami has made the NCAA tourney once since 2002 (2008).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Hurricanes_men%27s_basketball

BC has made the NCAA tourney one time in the last four years. During that period they've also finished with ACC records of 4-12 and 6-10.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_College_Eagles_men%27s_basketball

There are legitimate complaints with GW, but saying MD has slipped below these three programs just isn't true.

Nah, you're just a Gary Williams lover