Terps Q&A w/ Chris Knoche, & Matt Norlander

On Friday night, the University of Maryland will play their lone exhibition game of the preseason against Indiana University (PA). Next week, Coach Turgeon and the Terps will begin the 2012-13 season, tipping off against defending National Champion Kentucky at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

To help preview the upcoming season for Maryland, Baltimore Sports and Life has reached out to Terps Radio Analyst Chris Knoche, and Matt Norlander – who covers College Basketball as a Senior Blogger for CBS Sports, for their thoughts on the Terrapins.

BSL thanks both analysts for taking the time to respond.

Baltimore Sport and Life: “With Cassell Jr. being denied eligibility, there is increased pressure on Pe’Shon Howard to return to the Terps lineup and stay healthy. Last year Howard had the broken bone in his left foot, before returning and tearing his right ACL. When was able to play, his play was sub-par. Maryland needs he Howard that was capable of hitting opening shots as a Freshman, and physical enough to drive to the rim, and flash his strong interior passing. After averaging 3.2 assists and 1.7 turnovers as a Freshman in 18.5 minutes per, he averaged 3.7 assists and 3.2 turnovers as a Sophomore in 33 minutes per. If healthy enough to stay in the lineup, what type of production do you expect from Howard?”

Knoche: “I thought Pe’Shon’s struggles were understandable last year given all of the time he missed in the preseason. Add to that the fact he came back and probably tried to do too much, and I think we all saw what happened. For the Terps to be the team they want to be, Howard has to stay healthy, take care of the ball and be a bulldog on defense. I’m pretty certain he’ll hit his jumper and make important free throws. I think his greatest contribution this year may be on the intangible side of things. He’s a tough customer and makes everyone around him better.”

Norlander: “I expect a lot of production from him this year, in fact. Howard’s got to be more consistent, absolutely. I think he is capable of being an ACC Second Team player – and will do that this year.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Albany transfer Logan Aronhalt has averaged over 30+ minutes per game the last two years, and was 2nd team American east this past year. I’m expecting a guy that can knock down some 3’s, and be on the court in close/late situations due to his strong ability at the line. Do you think he will have trouble defending at the ACC level?”

Knoche: “I think if he has any kind of aptitude for the game (which he does)  then you can surround him with good players who can defend and he’ll be just fine. He offers a skill set that should make him valuable this year. He can expand the defense with his range and he can free throws down the stretch. That said, this is a big step-up in competition for him and it may take a while to adjust.”

Norlander: “Don’t know enough of Aronhalt’s game to say yes or not, so having said that, I’m skeptical. Prove it, and if so, what a bonus for the Terps.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Freshman Seth Allen is an undersized Shooting Guard, but I think the lefty will help the roster. He will provide some scoring punch off the bench, and should Howard be limited; give the Terps another option to handle the ball some. Coach Turgeon has already pointed out his athleticism and defensive efforts. With the limited guard depth, how important is it to get some production from Allen?”

Knoche: “I heard Coach Turgeon say that Seth is a “world-class athlete” at one of his press conferences. I had seen him play in the Capital Classic but the Seth Allen I saw recently in practice is a different guy. The weight room and the strength and conditioning program have really paid dividens for him and he is one of the fastest players I have ever seen in this program. He has really dynamic kind of athleticism that you really have to see for yourself. I worry sometimes that kids that gifted play the game at warp speed and it takes them a while to learn how to change speeds. He’ll be a really valuable piece this season.”

Norlandler: “Well you answered it right there. Limited options in the back-court means its vital that Allen produce at least something in his first year. Remember, Maryland should be pretty good NEXT season, so if Allen wants to maneuver his foot through the doorway, he’ll need to produce something of value this season. I’m not expecting a lot in the non-con, but come January he might be a good spark.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “One wildcard with this roster is Jake Layman. I’ve yet to see him play for myself. Some of the people I’ve talk to have said he is less of a wing, and more of a face-up 4, or combo forward. Others believe he can play on the wing. For this team, I believe he has to be able to guard opposing SF’s. There does seem to be universal agreement he can shoot. At 6’8, 200 lbs, I hope to see a guy that can also back down defenders. With starting minutes, is it too much to ask for 10 ppg from the Freshman?”

Knoche: “If the Terps get good news on the eligibility of Xavier transfer Dez Wells it means different things to the development of Jake Layman. If Wells plays Layman will certainly not get starters minutes but may be able to ease his way into the ACC level of play. I’ve seen him in practice a few times and he has a lot of offensive game. It also looks like effort on the defensive end has always been optional for him given his talent level.  He’ll figure it out…it looks like he understands how to play the game.“

Norlander: “Probably. Asking for 10 points a game from any Freshman that’s not a four-or-five star recruit is putting too much on a player expectation-wise, entering a season. See wha he can do and if he’s really a capable play who can switch between the 3 and the 4, take what you can get.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “I feel Nick Faust is going to crush people this year. His shooting numbers were ugly last year, but they improved as the year went on. Besides transitioning to the College game, he was also dealing with being a PG when last year began. At the end of the year, he was showing his athleticism, and going to the rim with ease. He was using his length to play the passing lanes and get out in transition. With Stoglin gone, I expect him to nearly double his scoring (8.9 last year) and compete for a spot on one of the All-Conference teams. Should I reign in some of my enthusiasm here?”

Knoche: “Yeah, you probably should. Nick certainly seized his opportunity as a Freshman and he seemed to get better each night out. This year democracy will reign with this team and he has so many better supporting parts. His game will be demonstrably better and Maryland fans will love the improvement. That doesn’t necessarily make him first team All-ACC or even the leading scorer on his team.“

Norlander: “Love Faust’s game, frustrating as it may be. Because of his erratic play last year, I think he’s one of the five most underrated players in the country heading into this season. Like you, I’m expecting a big, big year. Thing that Faust is so good at is remaining aggressive and getting to the foul line. He needs to have better shot selection, absolutely, but I think expecting a Second Team-type year is realistic.“

Baltimore Sports and Life:  “Maryland should be able to bang with pretty much anyone. Padgett and Len will be able to be aggressive at all-times, with Cleare and Mitchell available off the bench. Len has had a full year in the system, has gotten stronger, and has better command of he language. With his physical talent and work ethic, there is nothing he can achieve this year which would really surprise me. Cleare and Mitchell are both supposed to be a bit raw, but both are good athletes with size. Several analysts have alked about Cleare already having good hands and feet. How do you see this group as a whole. If Cleare works his way into the starting lineup with Len at some point, how do you see that working?”

Knoche: “Just wait until the world sees the version of Alex Len they are bout to see. he is bigger, stronger, faster, wiser and far more assimilated at this point than he was at any point last year. Even with the increased competition at practice he looks like a man among boys. Padgett is really solid and will get the first crack at playing power forward. Cleare and Mitchell are ready to play right now and will get their minutes and foul trouble won’t be nearly the issue this season as it was last season. Mixing and matching those guys will be fun. That depth also gives the coach much more of a hammer when it comes to dividing the minutes.”

Norlander: “I need to see a bit more from Len before I totally buy into all the hype. As a specimen, you see what he brings. As a group, I’m not sure because it’s unclear to me how Cleare and Mitchell will factor in.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The out of Conference schedule looks to be very limited to me. Kentucky, Northwestern, George Mason is not enough to really build a resume, and a few more challenges prior to league play would be nice. Should Maryland lose to Kentucky, is it fair to say Maryland will likely need to beat the other two, and probably win 10 games in the ACC to advance to the NCAA’s?”

Knoche: “Wow….season hasn’t started and you’re already on tournament watch? I have no idea right now….you have to wait a bit to see things play out and see what happens. Some teams on the schedule will be much better than expected and some will be worse. It’s hard to tell in October.“

Norlander: “Most likely, yeah, but I do expect Maryland in the NCAAs this year. It also depends on how those ACC wins come, too. Ten wins by W’s over who? How many road wins? Generally speaking I’d expect that to be enough, but the field can fall so many different ways, it’s impossible to definitively say the scenario you laid out above means automatic at-large berth.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “Xavier transfer Dez Wells was denied a waiver by the NCAA to play immediately for Maryland after being dismissed at Xavier for a violation of the student code of conduct. Wells is NCAA eligible, but under normal rules would have to sit out the season because of transferring. Maryland has sent the waiver to the NCAA, which sent it to Xavier. Xavier officials told ESPN.com last month that the Musketeers wouldn’t fight Wells playing immediately. Due to this, Maryland is appealing the NCAA ruling. Do you see Wells becoming eligible? Wells (6’5, 215 lbs) started 32 games for Xavier last year, and was on the All A-10 Rookie team. He scored in double figures 16 times. He shot 50% on 7.4 FG attempts per game, including 38% from 3 point land (1.7 attempts per). Overall he averaged 9.8 ppg, and 4.9 boards. he was on all the highlights with his dunks and again showed his athleticism at Maryland Madness. The Terps were projected to finish 6th in the ACC in the Preseason Coaches Poll. If Wells is eligible, what do you think Maryland is capable of this year?”

Knoche: “If Wells is eligible he changes the game for the Terps. He is an experienced, known quantity and, if eligible, plays a position of critical need for Maryland – the small forward position. The NCAA has become far more lenient with their granting of waivers and we can only hope that form holds in this case. I think without Wells the Terps were always better than that predicted 6th place finish. With him they will compete with everybody on their schedule just fine.”

Norlander: “Would be beyond surprising to me if Wells was eligible this season.”

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The Terrapins recently lost out on the commitment of the Harrison Brothers, but received the commitment of Roddy Peters for next year.

With Peters, currently the 2013-14 Terps look like*
Guards: Faust (Jr), Howard (Sr), Allen (Soph), Peters (Freshman)
Wings: Wells (Jr), Layman (Soph)
Bigs: Len (Jr), Cleare (Soph), Mitchell (Soph), Smotrycz (Sr), Dodd (Freshman)
*With two scholarships available.

If each of the aforementioned 11 players are in a Maryland uniform for ’13-’14, expectations for the Terps will be through the roof. Do you see all of the needed ingredients to compete for an Atlantic Coast Conference Title – and Nationally?”

Knoche: “In this day and age, the expectation that everybody will stay amounts to one big assumption that may very well be wrong. What happens if Alex Len is told he’s a lottery pick and decides to go? What happens if one or two of the freshmen are unhappy with playing time or homesick and want to go back home. With the talent level and the number of players you can expect that someone will be unhappy. All you know is that the team and the program are definitely headed in the right direction but the details as far as personnel can change when you least expect it. Cas in point: when the season ended last year and so many folks were focused on Terp recruiting efforts who could have predicted that Logan Aronhald and Dez Wells would be a part of our conversation today. Now, if the core is intact and the only losses are Padgett and Aronhalt we’ll all be signing different tunes.”

Norlander: “Yes, but Maryland fans need to prepare themselves for the realistic possibility that Len leaves and takes NBA money. If he has a nice year – not even a great one – that could definitely be the case. Even still, Maryland will be a top-20 team come the 2013 preseason and be right in the ACC mix. National title? Too soon to go there, but Turgeon’s swiftly re-branding this program into something that can perennially be top-15 caliber.”