This team....

[accinfo]

Gary has always made players better, he doesn't go for the McDonald's guys...Jimmy Jackson, Mike Jones, Danny Miller, Travis Garrison are his McDonalds recruits. Duke, Kansas, and Carolina get more than that in one year.

Keith Booth was a McDonald's All-American that he beat Duke and Kentucky for. Duane Simpkins was as well. As was Mike Jones. Another myth is Gary doesn't like the McDonald's All-American's. He just can't get them. He tried to recruit Jermaine O'Neal, and Rudy Gay to name just two. It is just when he doesn't get them there is always an excuse like someone else cheated, etc. The truth is that Gary refuses to make his once a week phone call to recruits he lets his assistants do this. He doesn't use up the 5 visits to see each recruit he is allowed. He lets assistants do this. Coach K makes these calls, sees these players but Gary doesn't and the fruits of his "lack of interest" has come back to bite him in the butt.

Yea he was won 600 games. He has also coached 30 years. If you don't average at least 20 wins a year you need to find another profession. He won 110 of those games in 4 consecutive fabulous years when he had a great player in Dixon.

[beaner]

Keith Booth was a McDonald's All-American that he beat Duke and Kentucky for. Duane Simpkins was as well. As was Mike Jones. Another myth is Gary doesn't like the McDonald's All-American's. He just can't get them. He tried to recruit Jermaine O'Neal, and Rudy Gay to name just two. It is just when he doesn't get them there is always an excuse like someone else cheated, etc. The truth is that Gary refuses to make his once a week phone call to recruits he lets his assistants do this. He doesn't use up the 5 visits to see each recruit he is allowed. He lets assistants do this. Coach K makes these calls, sees these players but Gary doesn't and the fruits of his "lack of interest" has come back to bite him in the butt.

Yea he was won 600 games. He has also coached 30 years. If you don't average at least 20 wins a year you need to find another profession. He won 110 of those games in 4 consecutive fabulous years when he had a great player in Dixon.

Booth was, you're correct. I forgot about Simpkins, Jones I mentioned along with Jackson, Miller, and Garrison. I don't think he dislikes them, I agree that he isn't aggressive enough to go hard after them. That's what makes the Booth "breaking the Baltimore barrier" all the more impressive/surprising.

I wouldn't count Dixon's freshman year, but his last three were certainly phenomenal. No disrespect to Dixon, but are you insinuating that the 520 wins he got without Dixon were by accident. It sounds like you're giving Gary very little credit here, and giving most of it to Dixon.

[Dr. FLK]

They were a #4 seed in the NCAA's two years ago man. He also turned a program close to the death penalty into a National Champion. They should name the court after him when he leaves, not force him out the door. The reason you are so upset is because he has spoiled you guys so much. Let's be honest here.

Gary has had more success keeping local talent than any Maryland coach ever, and it's not even close. Lefty got 1 Baltimore kid, and Gary has gotten Baltimore kids like Dixon, Booth, and Elliott. I said he's never been interested in recruiting, this isn't any new revelation FLK, it's a fact that goes back to his BC days. He's always had good assistants do it for him. Even when Maryland was winning titles, it wasn't Gary in the living room.

So if Roy turned your boys into a perennial NIT team, you'd be content to keep him?

You named 3 "local players" that he kept...one of them was Dixon, who wasn't on the National radar. There are tons more examples of guys he didn't keep local...including the last 2 nat'l players of the year.

Sure, he turned around the program. But, he also took over a good program at rock bottom. Lert's be honest here...when the sanctions were lifted, are there really people who didn't think the program would get better? And I know he won a Nat'l Championship, but how long does that buy him a pass?

He's been a good coach for a while, no doubt. But the landscape of college bball has changed. The players turnover at a much higher rate, and it's more important than ever to bring in top classes year after year. He hasn't found a way to get it done, and he's being out-recruiting by schools that have no business out-recruiting him. The lack of talent in this program is all on him...and it's a joke. When you're a school like Maryland, and your starting lineup consists of Hayes and Neal...you should be embarrassed.

[The Rick]

He's been a good coach for a while, no doubt. But the landscape of college bball has changed. The players turnover at a much higher rate, and it's more important than ever to bring in top classes year after year. He hasn't found a way to get it done, and he's being out-recruiting by schools that have no business out-recruiting him. The lack of talent in this program is all on him...and it's a joke. When you're a school like Maryland, and your starting lineup consists of Hayes and Neal...you should be embarrassed.

At least we have very low turnover rates.

[Dr. FLK]

At least we have very low turnover rates.

I know...I was shocked when Dave Neal didn't leave early.

[accinfo]

I wouldn't count Dixon's freshman year, but his last three were certainly phenomenal. No disrespect to Dixon, but are you insinuating that the 520 wins he got without Dixon were by accident. It sounds like you're giving Gary very little credit here, and giving most of it to Dixon.

What I am saying is 520 wins in 26 years is good but not great. If you coach a total of 26 years coaching mostly at a Big Ten, Big East, and ACC school you better win that many games or you will be selling used cars. It is not HOF material. Look at the winning % of Coach K, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, and Bobby Knight in comparison. It isn't even close. Those 4 years are the exception not the rule.

[Dr. FLK]

Gary's won 600 games doing it his way, I'm not going to argue with him.

He's won 600 games while winning 63% of his games. That's pretty comparable to Bobby Cremins and his .594 winning percentage. If someone gives you the chance to coach for 2 decades, you're going to win a lot of games. You can win 7-9 ACC games per season and accumulate 20 wins per season. I'm not saying he isn't a good coach. But, to make him out to be this infallible character for averaging 20 wins a season seems odd to me.

[BaltimoreTerp]

What I am saying is 520 wins in 26 years is good but not great. If you coach a total of 26 years coaching mostly at a Big Ten, Big East, and ACC school you better win that many games or you will be selling used cars. It is not HOF material. Look at the winning % of Coach K, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, and Bobby Knight in comparison. It isn't even close. Those 4 years are the exception not the rule.

Bobby Knight's first 30 years as a coach: 659 wins. Gary Williams: 602.

Take out Knight's best four year stretch over that time (108 wins, either 1972-73 through 1975-76 or 1990-91 through 1993-94): 551 wins.

In other words taking out their best four years' each, Bobby Knight was one win a year better than Williams has been up through last year. And Williams had eleven years at lower-level schools, while Knight only had six (BC and Ohio State are higher-level than Army, but still well below Maryland or Indiana).

[BaltimoreTerp]

He's won 600 games while winning 63% of his games. That's pretty comparable to Bobby Cremins and his .594 winning percentage. If someone gives you the chance to coach for 2 decades, you're going to win a lot of games. You can win 7-9 ACC games per season and accumulate 20 wins per season. I'm not saying he isn't a good coach. But, to make him out to be this infallible character for averaging 20 wins a season seems odd to me.

When eleven of those years are at American, BC and Ohio State, though...

[Mackus]

I'm gonna say this again for the people who either missed it or had problems understanding it before:

If you want to criticize Gary's recent work, the failings of the program since the National Championship, his recruiting weaknesses, fine, go ahead. He's definitely open to a lot of criticism for those things.

But if you are going to accuse him of being anything less than a great coach with a great past you are simply being ignorant. He's got a tremendous track record. Cherry pick a few years all you want, he's been one of the top coaches in the country for a long time. Stick to things that are worth discussing like his recent shortcomings rather than just making stupid comments knocking his career and sounding like a complete ass.

[The Rick]

I'm gonna say this again for the people who either missed it or had problems understanding it before:

If you want to criticize Gary's recent work, the failings of the program since the National Championship, his recruiting weaknesses, fine, go ahead. He's definitely open to a lot of criticism for those things.

But if you are going to accuse him of being anything less than a great coach with a great past you are simply being ignorant. He's got a tremendous track record. Cherry pick a few years all you want, he's been one of the top coaches in the country for a long time. Stick to things that are worth discussing like his recent shortcomings rather than just making stupid comments knocking his career and sounding like a complete ass.

I agree, well said. Gary Williams is and always will be a Maryland Terrapin legend. This is what sucks about this whole situation and why I've been so adamant against a change up until now.

That being said, I hope and pray that somehow a change is peaceful and somewhat mutual. The last thing I want to see is Gary Williams "fired". Just reading that looks ridiculous.

[Twenty1]

I'm gonna say this again for the people who either missed it or had problems understanding it before:

If you want to criticize Gary's recent work, the failings of the program since the National Championship, his recruiting weaknesses, fine, go ahead. He's definitely open to a lot of criticism for those things.

But if you are going to accuse him of being anything less than a great coach with a great past you are simply being ignorant. He's got a tremendous track record. Cherry pick a few years all you want, he's been one of the top coaches in the country for a long time. Stick to things that are worth discussing like his recent shortcomings rather than just making stupid comments knocking his career and sounding like a complete ass.

Thank you, you took the words right out of my mouth.

[21Markakis21]

Who's coming seal clubbin with me tonight????