Talking Terps Basketball with Chris Knoche

With another season of Maryland Basketball in the books, Baltimore Sports and Life has again reached out to Terps Radio Analyst Chris Knoche for his thoughts.

As always, we thank Chris for the insights he he has provided.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Baltimore Sports and Life: We last spoke in November to preview the season. I think it is safe to say that we went into the year believing things could break right for MD to earn their way back to the Tournament for the first time since 2009-10; but that neither of us were anticipating the level of success they would have. For you personally, how energizing was it to head to new locales, see new opponents, and ultimately – cover the resurgence of the program?

Knoche: This was really a special year in so many ways.  Personally, I loved the new challenges, the new schedule, the new league, new style, etc. As far as the resurgence is concerned, I always thought that the program was in the right hands…I just think we all assumed that the resurgence might be one taken in baby steps and little victories. I’m really glad I was wrong.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Before we discuss what awaits, let’s say good-bye to departing Seniors Dez Wells, Evan Smotrycz, Richaud Pack, and Jonathan Graham. (It currently appears that Varun Ram will return.) None began their career at College Park, but each played their last college game as a Terrapin.

Pack was a part-time starter. Smotrycz and Graham were rotation / reserve bigs. As a trio, their production was modest. That said, I think their collective experience / maturity likely helped make a difference this year. Is that overly trite, or do you buy in to that?

Wells spent his Senior year receiving All-Conference honors in his third college conference. His play over the last month (once fully healthy, and with his game legs under him) exceptional prior to the season ending loss to WVU.  As Wells prepares now for the next level, do you think he can push his way into the NBA Draft’s 2nd round, and have a chance to earn an NBA roster spot somewhere this Summer? If he doesn’t make a team, what do you think is the better route – the NBDL, or Europe – for additional development?

Knoche: There’s a lot to bite off there with that question. I definitely agree that the seniors had as many intangible contributions as they did tangible. Collectively they did a lot of dirty work together. Pack was a scorer his first three years in college and he came in and embraced the role of designated defender on the perimeter. A lot of guys wouldn’t do that. Jon Graham was one of the great “team” guys I’ve seen in the uniform. He really cared. Evan took a lot of heat but he was really versatile and gave his team a lot of great minutes – some of which came when he was in pain that seldom saw.  Dez will always be one of my favorite Terps. His heart, his energy, and his presence will all be missed greatly. As far as the NBA is concerned… so much of that is being in the right place at the right time. I know there is an awful lot of interest in his energy and athleticism. Once a team gets to know him it will be hard to let that guy go.

Baltimore Sports and Life: The primary weakness of the ’14-’15 Terps was the interior play. This coming year that weakness figures to be a strength. Not only will MD have Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter at the 4, and the fifth ranked player – Diamond Stone – of the 2015 Class at Center; but they’ll have Damonte Dodd, Michael Cekovsky, and Ivan Bender available as reserves. A couple questions here:

BSL 1) Carter and Stone will help in numerous ways. The pick and roll game, opening things up for shooters outside, rebounding, etc. What excites you most about having them available? 

Knoche 1: Having credible threats at every spot will open it up across the board. Almost every team in the sport has a player or two you can cheat off of. Having those guys gives Melo more space, which gives Wiley and Nickens more opportunities, which takes the pressure off of Layman. All of it is interrelated. It pretty much helps across the board.

BSL 2) Am I jumping the gun with penciling in Stone to start? Dodd and Cekovsky both got good minutes this year. Both athletic. Cekovsky in-particular figures to be stronger and improved going into his Sophomore season. Beyond strength and FT shooting, what will you be looking to see Ceko improve? Dodd had some strong games early, and seemed be finding a second wind as the season was ending. Do you think his game can take another leap?

Knoche 2: I think the biggest leap that any player ever takes comes between his freshman and sophomore seasons…I expect Ceko to make a big leap. I also think it will help both he and Dodd to play against a player like Diamond every single day. My high school coach always said “if you play with garbage, you play like garbage”. The converse of that is true as well. Dodd had some good minutes this past season and was light years better than he was a freshman. This will be an interesting year to see how the post pans out. Oh, and no, you’re not jumping the gun….

BSL 3) Bender is supposed to be an athletic, shot-blocking 4, with a decent shot. He did not play after enrolling in January, and was continuing to rehab the ACL he tore in 2013. How enthusiastic is the Coaching staff about Bender’s potential?

Knoche 3: My answer would be an incomplete one as I really haven’t had much in the way of in-depth conversations about Bender. I’ll pass. I will say he looks a hell of a lot bigger than the size he’s listed at.

Baltimore Sports and Life: You were high on Nickens in November, and he did a lot this year to like (39% from 3, on 4.2 attempts per game). It’s easy to envision him putting a lot of points up while wearing the MD uniform. This Summer, what does he need to focus on offensively? Posting-up? Dribble drive? Mid-range game? How did you rate his effort and ability defensively?

Knoche: He needs to get MUCH stronger. More physical strength will lead to more mental strength. He also has to get beyond the point where his self assessment begins and ends with how he is shooting the ball. He’s a lot better than that. Last year he wasn’t asked to be more than just adequate on defense. This year is a whole new game. All of the things you mentioned will get better with strength. He has every skill imaginable to do it.

Baltimore Sports and Life: In December Wiley had 19 points vs. VMI. In January, he had three games where he scored 9 points vs. Big Ten opponents. In February the rotation seemed to shorten, and his minutes were reduced. While he won’t be projected to start next year, I think when you project out what the roster will look like; it is going to be important that Wiley proves capable of providing some consistent scoring off the bench. What did you see that you liked from him this year, and what is he going to need to tighten up?

Knoche: I liked the fact that he competed, he was fearless and he defended well for the most part. You can’t teach some of that. I think with more work and more playing time his basketball IQ will improve. Up to this point he got by on being a guy who could score at will. As long as he’s a willing student then you can count on him to be a contributor. The extent of those contributions are up to him.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Incoming JUCO PG Jaylen Brantley has regularly been described as having high basketball IQ in the reviews I’ve seen. We will discuss Trimble more below, but if Brantley proves capable of running the offense, do you envision MD sometimes using Trimble off the ball?

Knoche: Definitely. I don’t think most folks how hard it is to be a full time PG as a freshman. You are asked to do so many things it’s almost hard to fathom. The fact that Melo had the year he had makes it all the more remarkable. If you can move him to the 2 for stretches, it not only creates new looks for your best offensive player it eases the burden on him a little bit mentally. No offense to all of our aspiring shooting guards reading this, playing point guard in major D1 basketball is a whole different animal.

Baltimore Sports and Life: 6’6 Baltimore native Damion Lee just wrapped up his Junior year at Drexel, and will be graduating in June. He averaged over 20ppg in the Colonial Athletic Association this year, with some excellent shooting numbers. Terps fans are excited about him possibly being a Senior transfer to MD. Have you ever seen him play? If he does wind-up in College Park, should there be any worry about there being enough shots to go around?

Knoche: I have not seen him play but he comes highly recommended by some of the other coaches in his league. As for any worries I really don’t think that Mark Turgeon and his staff would not bring in somebody at this point that they weren’t 100% certain could coexist on a talented team.

Baltimore Sports and Life: In the KenPom ratings, the Terps were 58th in Adjusted Offense, 201st in Adjusted Tempo, and 113th in Points Per Game. Some consistent interior scoring will make MD’s offense that more efficient. Do you expect that the Terps will also increase the pace?

Knoche: I read the KenPom stuff and I don’t buy a lot of it, to be honest. I am pretty much on board with a lot of the new metrics of the sport but some of that is borderline baffling. I’ve always thought that running and pushing the ball is a function of rebounding and defense. Both of those should be strong suits with this team. The pace would seem sure to follow.

Baltimore Sports and Life: The Big Ten was the 4th rated conference this year in-terms of RPI. Still, 7 teams were sent to the NCAAT, and two reached the Final Four. Seeing the league up-close, what were your thoughts?

Knoche: I’m not sure where to start with that. I thought the league was a little top-heavy, but what league isn’t? The post season success tells us that there really isn’t that much difference -quantitative or qualitative- between the first and fourth best conferences. I will say this…I loved the new venues. Many of the places we went were small university towns that are homes to large state universities. The communities love and support their teams. Games at Indiana, Michigan State and Nebraska were epic in the vibes in those buildings. It felt a long way away from Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Layman’s FG% increased from 40% to 47% from his Sophomore to Junior year’s. 3P%, and FT%’s also increased. Rebounding was also up. On this roster this year, I thought it made sense for him to be used as the PF. Clearly though his best production this season came with Wells out, and with him playing the 3 (and the offense running more through him). With Carter as the starting PF, Layman will get to reclaim his natural position. In-terms of mental preparedness, what would you tell Jake to concentrate on this Summer? I’m obviously going on the assumption he returns. Are you worried he will jump?

Knoche: I really hope he’s back and I believe he will be. Jake has come miles from where he was as a freshman. Some players develop on a different time frame than others. I actually believe most of his best minutes this year were as a 4. When Dez went out he really was able to exploit larger post players away from the basket. I know he wants to prove he can be a good 3 and that will pay dividends for him down the road. I would advise him to get in the weight room, add 20 pounds, if possible, and spend time visualizing himself being the best, most aggressive player he can be.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Trimble had the best Freshman season for a Terrapin since Joe Smith, and was the clear catalyst for MD’s team success this year. Is he a finished product, or do you see areas where his game can improve further?

Knoche: As great as he was, there are a lot of ways to improve. I remember watching him get 26 against Nebraska and thinking he was one and done. Then later that night I came home and watched John Wall and Steph Curry play against each other. He’s a long way from that level. He has to be more athletic, faster. He dropped a lot of weight prior to this season and it made him dramatically better. He’s a young kid and will mature physically this year. I just love where his head is at in games. He puts a lot of pressure on the other team and seems to also be able to be a good teammate at the same time. Sometimes those things are mutually exclusive.

Baltimore Sports and Life: Having Trimble and Wells be able to get to the line – and convert once there – certainly helped with all of the close games MD played. Coach Turgeon deserves credit for MD’s success as well though. With better players, and better results; it seemed like Turgeon was able relax a bit. By your position, you have had a personal relationship for years now. From the outside, I thought Turgeon showed a bit more personality etc in his interviews this year. The on-court results coupled with the recruiting success has shown Turgeon fully grab a hold of the program.  Thoughts on the job Turgeon did this season, and the whirlwind he went through over the past year?

Knoche: I remember being at a Maryland event last year in May – right after the gang of five had left- where he told a pretty good crowd that “I have never been more excited to be the head coach at the University of Maryland”. He set the right tone with the fan base right away. The departures seemed to take some weight off of him and both he and the program flourished as a result. Honestly, there is nothing that beats winning. It cures all aches and pains. I think he showed early on that he could recruit. Now he has the best of all worlds and he’s exploiting it. These Terps are the hot new girl in school…great gear, great momentum. They’ve even got some of the really great names in college basketball – Melo and Diamond – are you kidding me? What’s not to like?

Baltimore Sports and Life: The verbal from Stone has skyrocketed expectations for the Terps. I’m anticipating MD will enter next year in the Top 10, and have legitimate National aspirations. If it was fun seeing the program rebound this year, how much fun does this coming season figure to be?

Knoche: I look forward to every season but there is no doubt the level of talent adds a totally new element to this. This year was so much fun to be a part of. The personalities, the great road wins, the new league…all of it was pretty magical. The reality is next years team could be a lot better and still not find themselves in a one possession game with ten minutes to play and a berth in the sweet sixteen on the line. I’ve seen them top three of four preseason already and that’s really exciting. I’m happy for the staff and the players that they’ve all had a hand in this resurrection. It’s a great time to be a part of the program in any capacity.