Seth In Garyland
Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg doesn't have time to ponder the drama swirling around other programs. He has plenty on his plate with his own team.
Still, he is aware of the noise surrounding Gary Williams and Maryland's program. After the Terps' 83-73 win Saturday, Greenberg offered a couple of thoughts on Williams – one voluntary, the other solicited.
We're a team that has to have a chip, Greenberg began during one sequence, not completing the "on our shoulder" part of the sentence. "We're not talented enough to be a team that's going to go out and just win games. That's just the way it is. There are teams that are like that."
Which provided a transition to this, regarding Williams and Maryland:
"All the geniuses in the media around here think that guys just come to schools," Greenberg said. "It's not that easy. You can recruit your tail off and lose guys. That's just the way it is.
"We're a team that relies on bowing our necks and being tough," he continued. "Just like they are. Just like their national championship team was. You can win that way. You can win that way without selling your soul. That's who we need to be if we're going to win. That's who we are when we do win. If we're not that, then we're not going to win. It's plain and simple."
Greenberg was referring specifically to recent stories that have chronicled Maryland's decline since its 2002 NCAA champion, most of them focused on recruiting mis-steps by Williams and his practice of not currying favor with players' AAU coaches and entourages.
The latest was a three-part series that ran in last week's Washington Post. Reporters talked with dozens of people – some within and some outside the program. The upshot is: After 20 years at his alma mater, Williams is on the hotseat as the Terps (16-8 overall, 5-5 in the ACC) are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.
The recent heat prompted some enterprising Terp type to have some custom T-shirts made for the folks seated courtside. The red T-shirts had a photo of Williams below the word "Garyland" on the front, and the words "We (heart) Our Coach" on the back.
After Greenberg's unsolicited broadside, he was asked specifically if he had any further thoughts on what Williams has experienced of late.
"It's a joke," Greenberg said. "It's an absolute joke. It's almost disgusting that he could go through that with what he's built. The reason there's a Comcast Center is Gary Williams. That's the way it is.
"As a coach, seeing someone with the success that he's had, have everyone who doesn't know what they don't know second-guess the guy is pretty disappointing. It's a reflection on our profession."
Williams is sixth on the active coaches' win list (620), with 413 of them at Maryland. But this season the Terps also have losses of 22, 27 and 41 points, as well as a loss to Morgan State. They have won three of their last four to climb back to .500 in ACC play.
Maryland ran its stuff Saturday much better than Virginia Tech defended it, and the Hokies didn't adjust well to Maryland's game plan.
"We didn't do a good job guarding (Greivis) Vasquez going to his right hand, which is really ridiculous," Greenberg said. "We didn't do a good job on the ball screens shrinking the court, we didn't do a good job when the ball went into the post on cutters, and we didn't cut (Sean) Mosley off the glass. But besides that, it was pretty good."
Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen struggled. Allen, a D.C., native, gave the Terps crowd the middle-finger salute after fouling out with 3:15 remaining, following a sub-par eight-point game.
"They out-toughed us," Greenberg said. "They had a greater sense of urgency, and that's my fault. I take full responsibility. It's my job to make sure and demand, and we need to demand more. I'm sure practice on Monday will be spirited."
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