High expectations from fans highlighted at Maryland Madness

Posted By on October 19, 2015

Feature photo courtesy of UMTerps.com and Greg Fiume.

Set to start his fifth season as the head man for the Maryland men’s basketball team, Mark Turgeon stood on Gary Williams Court at Xfinity Center and addressed the Terrapin faithful in attendance at Maryland Madness Saturday night.

“We’ve worked really hard to get to this point since we’ve been here in our five years,” Turgeon said. “When I took the job on May 10 a long time ago, this is what I envisioned for Maryland basketball.”

On a night filled with magic and cheers, ranked as high as it has been in over a decade, Maryland basketball debuted its highly anticipated team.

Maryland fans were treated to an autograph session of the men’s and women’s teams, a magic show by the Oklahoma City-based JP Wilson and a performance by Gymkana—the University of Maryland gymnastic and acrobatic troupe. Both teams also boasted their dance moves and conducted intrasquad scrimmages.

The night had students buzzing.

“I think we can get the championship,” sophomore finance major Chineme Obiefune said. “I think we can go all the way. I’m excited. Something in the air. It’s crazy.”

While students are hoping to reap the benefits of a successful basketball team, alumni are also raising their expectations.

“The ceiling is a national championship,” Tom Madison of Oxon Hill, Maryland, said. “They have the talent to do it, up and down the board. From the first team and the second team, they’ve got all the pieces.”

A member of the University of Maryland class of 1983, Madison is sharing season tickets with a friend and is looking forward to the “Georgetown” and “[North] Carolina” games.

During his statement at Maryland Madness, Turgeon thanked the fans and announced that the team has sold out season tickets for every game this year.

For students without season tickets, going to every Terps game will be a bit tougher. They’ll have to request tickets on a game-by-game basis.

Freshman business major Matt Andersen is hoping for the best and plans to go to every game he can get tickets to.

“I think it’s gonna be pretty competitive because of all the hype around the team this year,” Andersen said. “I hope to go to all the games.”

Andersen expects new talent and depth to take the Terps far into March and maybe even April this season.

The Terps will roster four freshman: ESPN’s sixth overall recruit, center Diamond Stone; forward Ivan Bender; and guards Kent Auslander and Andrew Terrell. They also boast three high-profile transfers: junior forward Robert Carter Jr. from Georgia Tech, who sat out as a redshirt last year; sophomore guard Jaylen Brantley from Odessa Community College in Texas; and senior guard Rasheed Sulaimon from the Terps’ former ACC foe Duke.

In the team’s scrimmage, Stone and Carter both showcased their talents for the black team in a 12-8 loss.

Stone won the opening tip against sophomore big man Michal Cekovsky. Moments later, Stone tied the game at six as he backed down Bender in the post for his first unofficial basket in a Maryland uniform.

Trailing 8-6 after another Stone field goal, sophomore guard Melo Trimble quickly stormed down the court and converted a three-point play. The dagger came soon after, as Trimble sank a three to give the gold team the win.

The scrimmage showcased the team’s competitiveness that Turgeon alluded to in his speech.

“You put a score and a time up on the clock. They’re the most competitive group I’ve ever been around,” Turgeon said. “They want to win all the time.”

Terps fans flowing with excitement got a taste of the team’s competitive drive, but they’ll have to wait until next month for regular-season action.

And whether there will be a trip to the Final Four in Houston, well, that will have to wait until April.

“I’m hoping [for] a Final Four,” Madison said. “A national championship would be icing on the cake.”

For now, supporters of the Terps will have the magical Saturday night to look back on and add to their excitement for this season.

“It could be magical,” sophomore international business and finance major M Greenberg said. “I think we have a lot of the right pieces.”

Alex Flum
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Posted by Alex Flum

Alex, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, joined The Left Bench in 2015 and will cover the Maryland Men's Basketball team this year. He is a native of the DC Area and a long-suffering DC Sports fan (especially Wizards and Redskins).