Just before tip-off on Monday, Maryland honored the team that shared the ACC regular season title with Duke a season ago with a video tribute.
Many of the major pieces from that team are gone. More than a few of the elements expected to make a difference this year were nowhere near College Park last winter.
It was those players --- notably Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin --- who debuted in the Terrapins' 105-76 rout of Seattle in the season opener for both teams. And both players signify the good and the bad certain to surface throughout the year for Maryland.
"We're trying to win and learn at the same time this year," coach Gary Williams said.
The first priority was accomplished Monday, with a lift from Stoglin (15 points in 18 minutes) and Howard (eight assists, three steals in 24 minutes). They combined for seven turnovers, but on a night Maryland gave it away 29 times, there was plenty of that going around.
Stoglin, the guard recruited out of Arizona, was the first man off the bench in both halves. In the first, it was out of necessity. In the second, it was because of effective play. Both times, Howard soon joined him on the floor.
Ready or not, these are Maryland's sixth and seventh men, in line to absorb lessons some players don't get the chance to receive first-hand until deep into their careers.
"I thought they were great for their first college game," Williams said. "They played with a lot of confidence. They're going to try some passes that they probably got away with in the past that don't work at this level, but you learn."
And some of the passes did work. Howard scoped out the court superbly, he already looks the part of a veteran guard. Stoglin dribbled between his legs almost immediately after taking the court and quickly zipped a behind-the-back pass to Jordan Williams to set up a dunk.
Stoglin played as much as he did in large part because senior Adrian Bowie logged only three minutes in the first after after two quick fouls. It was a less-than-ideal opener for Bowie, but his absence was mitigated thanks to the freshmen.
"They did a good job," Bowie said. "They picked us up when I came out playing bad. Terrell and Pe'Shon came in and they saved us."
Williams was feisty afterward and in no mood to heap undue praise on anyone. His team's cushion was cut to 10 points with 11:56 to play, and the turnovers --- regardless of tempo --- were less than thrilling. With another game looming in 48 hours against College of Charleston, the opportunity for a quick fix is limited at best.
So, yes, Stoglin made all nine of his free throws. And Howard provided an all-around game Williams expected when he signed the combo guard out of prep juggernaut Oak Hill Academy.
There was good to be taken. But progress isn't necessarily measured in points at this stage.
"I like what they did tonight, but there's enough there they have to learn from," Williams said. "They're not yet ready --- their banners aren't going up there on the ceiling. This is a learning process. We won the game and now we have a tougher game [Wednesday] night, so we're not talking about how good freshmen are right now."
But it's so tempting to, if for no other reason there are only so many observations to be gleaned from a game that featured 56 turnovers and 51 fouls. Visually appealing, it was not --- at least not consistently.
The line of questioning leaned more and more on the freshmen, if only because the veterans (besides the foul-plagued Bowie) performed about as expected. That is the residue of last year's 13-3 regular season in the ACC; a certain level of play is anticipated.
The barometer will soon be created for Howard and Stoglin. And after he tired of the thought of propping up newcomers after their first game, he did find a silver lining in it all.
"We recruited them because they were good players," Williams said. "One played at Oak Hill, which is one of the top prep schools, and the other won the state championship in Arizona. We recruited them because they were good players, and I think they will prove to be as good as other people's guards who maybe got more attention when they signed with their schools."
Stoglin signed quietly on the eve of a season of great expectations, one fueled by the talents of his predecessors in the Maryland backcourt. The other signed after a year that ended in wrenching fashion. The highs and lows in between those signings set up the video montage they watched before their first game.
There's no telling if Howard and Stoglin will be part of a similar production in the future. But they did offer some promise for the future --- and maybe the present as well.
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