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Other than Diamond Stone, Terps have not gotten much from bench Other than Diamond Stone, Terps have not gotten much from bench
(about 4 hours later)
When Maryland guard Melo Trimble picked up his second foul midway through the first half of Tuesday night’s 70-67 loss to Michigan, Coach Mark Turgeon looked down his bench and pondered the mix of talented reserves he has trumpeted since the summer. He tinkered with his lineups all evening to neutralize his team’s foul trouble and the Wolverines’ relentless attack, attempting to create depth instead of relying on it.When Maryland guard Melo Trimble picked up his second foul midway through the first half of Tuesday night’s 70-67 loss to Michigan, Coach Mark Turgeon looked down his bench and pondered the mix of talented reserves he has trumpeted since the summer. He tinkered with his lineups all evening to neutralize his team’s foul trouble and the Wolverines’ relentless attack, attempting to create depth instead of relying on it.
He inserted 6-foot-7 small forward Jared Nickens at shooting guard for a stretch. He relied on 5-7 reserve Varun Ram, normally a situational defensive specialist, to spell Trimble for 14 minutes. He paired Ram and backup point guard Jaylen Brantley at one point and rotated a front-court lineup that featured another sensational outing from freshman center Diamond Stone.He inserted 6-foot-7 small forward Jared Nickens at shooting guard for a stretch. He relied on 5-7 reserve Varun Ram, normally a situational defensive specialist, to spell Trimble for 14 minutes. He paired Ram and backup point guard Jaylen Brantley at one point and rotated a front-court lineup that featured another sensational outing from freshman center Diamond Stone.
Despite his team’s first loss in six weeks, Turgeon is confident that he has expanded his options as No. 3 Maryland (15-2, 4-1) prepares to host Ohio State on Saturday.Despite his team’s first loss in six weeks, Turgeon is confident that he has expanded his options as No. 3 Maryland (15-2, 4-1) prepares to host Ohio State on Saturday.
“I think we built depth the other night. We didn’t win the game, but we built depth. We had to overcome a little foul trouble to do that,” he said Friday.“I think we built depth the other night. We didn’t win the game, but we built depth. We had to overcome a little foul trouble to do that,” he said Friday.
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The chief option in reserve is Stone, who is averaging 16.8 points over his last 10 games — coming off the bench in nine of those contests — and has quickly become the most dominant sixth man in the country. But his surge underscores the recent offensive struggles of Maryland’s second unit. Against Michigan, all of the bench’s 22 points and 11 rebounds were compiled by Stone. The chief option in reserve is Stone, who is averaging 16.8 points over his past 10 games — coming off the bench in nine of those contests — and has quickly become the most dominant sixth man in the country. But his surge underscores the recent offensive struggles of Maryland’s second unit. Against Michigan, all of the bench’s 22 points and 11 rebounds were compiled by Stone.
Excluding Maryland’s blowout win over Rutgers earlier this month — when the freshman center inadvertently started because an error was made in the scorebook and the bench was emptied early with the Terps’ lead ballooning to 42 points — Stone has scored 82 of the bench’s 87 points in four conference games. He also has collected 30 of the 40 rebounds among the reserves over that stretch.Excluding Maryland’s blowout win over Rutgers earlier this month — when the freshman center inadvertently started because an error was made in the scorebook and the bench was emptied early with the Terps’ lead ballooning to 42 points — Stone has scored 82 of the bench’s 87 points in four conference games. He also has collected 30 of the 40 rebounds among the reserves over that stretch.
Turgeon will stick with his usual starting lineup for Saturday’s game against the Buckeyes (12-6, 4-1) , who have won eight of their last nine, which means he will continue to bring Stone off the bench behind junior center Damonte Dodd. Turgeon will stick with his usual starting lineup for Saturday’s game against the Buckeyes (12-6, 4-1) , who have won eight of nine, which means he will continue to bring Stone off the bench behind junior center Damonte Dodd.
While Stone is playing starter’s minutes and has emerged as the centerpiece in the front court, Turgeon said earlier this month that he needs more production out of Dodd and sophomore center Michal Cekovsky. Cekovsky has logged 32 minutes in five conference games and posted one point and seven rebounds over that stretch.While Stone is playing starter’s minutes and has emerged as the centerpiece in the front court, Turgeon said earlier this month that he needs more production out of Dodd and sophomore center Michal Cekovsky. Cekovsky has logged 32 minutes in five conference games and posted one point and seven rebounds over that stretch.
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Nickens, considered the best three-point shooter on the team, has been held scoreless in each of the past two games and three of the last five. Brantley, who made considerable strides near the end of the nonconference season, played 15 minutes against Rutgers after Trimble went down with a hamstring injury but has since logged just one minute in the past two games as Turgeon has turned to Ram. Nickens, considered the best three-point shooter on the team, has been held scoreless in each of the past two games and three of the past five. Brantley, who made considerable strides near the end of the nonconference season, played 15 minutes against Rutgers after Trimble went down with a hamstring injury but has since logged just one minute in the past two games as Turgeon has turned to Ram.
“I’m going to coach by feel,” Turgeon said. “Jared didn’t make shots, but Jared played pretty well. Defensively, I thought he did a really nice job. I thought Varun really helped us. I think it was a breath of fresh air.”“I’m going to coach by feel,” Turgeon said. “Jared didn’t make shots, but Jared played pretty well. Defensively, I thought he did a really nice job. I thought Varun really helped us. I think it was a breath of fresh air.”
Ram made several key defensive plays to keep Maryland close Tuesday night, but he also found himself open for two three-pointers in the second half. He missed both, admitting Friday that he wasn’t mentally prepared enough to knock them down. It can be difficult for a reserve such as Ram to find an offensive identity off the bench, given the amount of scoring firepower already available on the roster. Turgeon has said that playing time among his reserve guards is often dictated by their skills and the situation at hand — Brantley can stretch the floor with his shooting ability, while Ram is one of the team’s best perimeter defenders. But Ram added that the offense can’t play “four on five” when he’s on the floor.Ram made several key defensive plays to keep Maryland close Tuesday night, but he also found himself open for two three-pointers in the second half. He missed both, admitting Friday that he wasn’t mentally prepared enough to knock them down. It can be difficult for a reserve such as Ram to find an offensive identity off the bench, given the amount of scoring firepower already available on the roster. Turgeon has said that playing time among his reserve guards is often dictated by their skills and the situation at hand — Brantley can stretch the floor with his shooting ability, while Ram is one of the team’s best perimeter defenders. But Ram added that the offense can’t play “four on five” when he’s on the floor.
“When you’re on the floor with all these future NBA players, you want to make sure they’re the ones shooting the ball,” the senior said. “At the same time, you have to be ready to take an open shot.”“When you’re on the floor with all these future NBA players, you want to make sure they’re the ones shooting the ball,” the senior said. “At the same time, you have to be ready to take an open shot.”
Turgeon vowed earlier this season not to talk about the impact that sophomore Dion Wiley’s season-ending knee injury would have on his team, but it clearly has affected his depth at times. But while Turgeon can do nothing about Wiley’s absence, he is still carrying unflinching trust in the offensive capabilities of his bench. The more significant growth of the second team has come on the defensive end, including for Stone, who had the furthest ground to make up of any player on the roster.Turgeon vowed earlier this season not to talk about the impact that sophomore Dion Wiley’s season-ending knee injury would have on his team, but it clearly has affected his depth at times. But while Turgeon can do nothing about Wiley’s absence, he is still carrying unflinching trust in the offensive capabilities of his bench. The more significant growth of the second team has come on the defensive end, including for Stone, who had the furthest ground to make up of any player on the roster.
“I think we all feel comfortable with who we’re playing,” Turgeon said. “We just have to play a little bit better.” “We all feel comfortable with who we’re playing,” Turgeon said. “We just have to play a little bit better.”