Maryland Terrapins NCAA Basketball News

Greivis Vasquez made arguably the biggest decision of his life in mid-June, opting to remain at Maryland for a final season after a month jetting from one NBA city to another.

When the women's basketball team was introduced at Maryland Madness in mid-October, one member of the program received by far the loudest ovation from the crowd at Comcast Center. When the spotlight focused on Brenda Frese, fans rose to their feet and loudly cheered for the eighth-year coach.

Frese is the one constant for the Terrapins, who are in the midst of a transition period. She is the program's most recognizable face and the lone remaining link to the 2006 NCAA championship team following the graduation of Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman and the offseason departure of longtime assistant Erica Floyd.

During a recent interview, Maryland sophomore guard Sean Mosley relived his decision to choose the Terrapins over Syracuse, his other top college option.

'Syracuse really didn't fit me,' Mosley said. 'It's kind of cold up in that area, and the school is kind of old.'

Kind of old? 'The structures of the buildings and everything is kind of old,' he explained. 'The only thing that's really there is the basketball itself.'

This was just the way Rick Mosley said it would play out: His son would be reserved in his speech, but every once in a while, the father said the youngest of his four children subtly will let slip notions that catch your attention.

It was only 19 months ago Shane Walker made a decision so common in college basketball , quietly transferring from Maryland to Loyola to begin an absence from competition that ends Friday when the Greyhounds host Vermont.

Nobody did last year as Geno Auriemma rode an undefeated season to his sixth national championship.

After deferring his dream to play in the NBA, University of Maryland point guard Greivis Vasquez is returning for his senior year.

Entering his 21st season as head coach of his alma mater, Gary Williams stands third in Atlantic Coast Conference history and first in Maryland annals with 418 wins ... has directed the Terps to 13 NCAA Tournament berths over the past 16 seasons and has averaged 22.4 wins per season over that span ... with 625 career victories in 31 seasons ...

Yes, Clarion visits fourth-ranked Kentucky on Friday for a men's basketball exhibition game.

Conference opponents, and a visit to NCAA Division I Coppin State in the next 13 days, will undoubtedly help make the West Virginia University Tech men's basketball team a more battle tested group when it begins Mid-South Conference play later this season.

There is optimism in College Park for the 2009-10 installment of Maryland Terrapins basketball.

Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne each scored 14 points, Greivis Vasquez added 13, and Maryland breezed past Indiana of Pennsylvania 75-54 in an exhibition game Tuesday night.

The 2009-10 University of Maryland men's basketball season begins Tuesday with the Terrapins' lone exhibition game against NCAA Division II regional powerhouse Indiana, Pa.

Landon Milbourne was like everyone else who cares about Maryland basketball last spring.

Maryland was picked to finish fifth this season by members of the media attending the Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball gathering on Sunday at the Grandover Resort.

University presidents at institutions with major football programs agree that current spending trends on intercollegiate athletics cannot be sustained nationally and collective action is needed to address escalating costs, a study released at a meeting held by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics revealed today.

The Comcast Center's spotlights danced around the tunnel to the court, preparing the crowd for Gary Williams' first entrance of the new basketball season Friday night.

Gary Williams was never willing to put a firm date on how long he would remain Maryland's basketball coach.

They're breathing easier in College Park these days. The air from the Capital Beltway isn't necessarily any cleaner, but the Maryland Terrapins' improbable advancement to last year's NCAA Tournament and the return of point guard Greivis Vasquez seems to have calmed angst and rekindled hope around coach Gary Williams' program.

Head coach Gary Williams and the Maryland Terrapins spent Thursday afternoon in Comcast Center meeting with the media in the Baltimore-Washington area and discussing their expectations for the upcoming season.

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Freshman forwards Jordan Williams and James Padgett give the Terps some much-needed muscle up front.