Sports in Stilettos

1/31/12

Four-star WR Bryce Treggs, who recently visited USC and received an offer (sort of), remains a solid Cal commit.

Four-star DT Aziz Shittu was projected to Stanford, but USC wants him, too. A lot. They could probably make a pretty convincing argument with “Next Nick Perry.” Anyway, he’s not saying until Wednesday.

Which means these two are just toying with us all now.

National Signing Day’s around the corner!

If you’re new to Sports in Stilettos, hello and welcome! I’m Justine!

With just two days to go before Signing Day, the college football world is fawning over a bunch of highly talented teenagers and hanging on their every word (and every tweet!). Because that’s healthy and productive.

I’m a little too old to care much about high school dudes, but since I also blog about the USC Trojans’ football program over at isportsweb, I get to watch this annual mating dance between university and potential star from a distance and report on it. Yesssssss.

I obsessed over boys quite enough when I was actually in high school, thank you very much, so my recruiting posts, unlike this explanation, are short and sweet.

USC Football: In With the New has a look at current commits and who else the Trojans hope to sway by Wednesday.

USC Football Recruiting: Trojans whiff on Armstead, snag Banner gives today’s updates (spoiler: USC is 1 for 1 on recruits so far this week)

And since it’s not over until we hit 75 peeps, there will be more to come on Wednesday. Get excited.

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To be fair, the blame for this shouldn’t really fall on Driesell. It should fall on a Maryland administration that, to use an old Driesell quote, “could screw up a one-car funeral.

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So far, it seems like John Feinstein and I completely agree on the current state of Maryland athletics.

His brilliant take on the Lefty Driesell - Gary Williams - court-naming situation ends with a statement that could’ve been pulled directly from my brain:

Mark Turgeon has the program pointed in the right direction. He may someday achieve what Gary Williams and Lefty Driesell achieved. Maybe by then, the the school they all care about so much will be a little less dysfunctional.

Read the rest here: Lefty Driesell’s comments were wrong, but honoring him is the right thing to do - The Washington Post

I had a message from Anonymous the other day asking if I was going to blog about Gary Williams Court, the Maryland-Duke game, and the special Under Armour shoes Darren Rovell tweeted.

I didn’t see Rovell’s tweet, but here are the shoes Under Armour designed just for last night’s game, at which Coach Williams was honored.

Say what you want about Under Armour and Maryland uniforms, but Mr. Plank’s peeps sure make some hot shoes. (Or as hot as shoes can be if they’re not stilettos!)

And here’s what I posted about Gary Williams Court and the Maryland-Duke game. (Quick game recap here.)

Anonymous, let me know if this covers it!

[Gary Williams special shoes images shared via The Washington Post - Maryland’s Gary Williams Shoes]

Quick Thoughts on Maryland-Duke

Man. I thought we had a shot there for a second.
Must. Shoot. Foul Shots. I think the Terps were shooting 57% from the free throw line heading into the game, so I was (pleasantly) surprised when they made six or so to open the game. Too bad it didn’t last. If it did, that L might’ve been a W. Just sayin’.
Still, we looked a lot better than I thought we would against Duke, at least in the beginning. Sean Mosley has frequently been a source of frustration over the years, but he played well last night. Nick Faust had two beautiful shots, then the rest of them just dinged off the rim. Brutal, especially at that point in the game.
Anyone else think Faust looks like he could be Mosley’s baby brother?
This was my first look at Alex Len. Meh. He struggled a bit, like he hadn’t quite figured out how to catch up to his bizarrely long limbs, but he is a young’un and it was Duke and he was coming off an ankle injury. He’ll be alright.
Overall, I was actually impressed. It’s frustrating that Maryland stuck with Temple (who beat Duke) and Duke for so long and then just faded into an oblivion of missed foul shots, but it’s exciting watching the young guys playing well and figuring it out. I am really, really excited for the future of this team. Wish we still had Jordan Williams and the Hawk, but we’re 100% on the right track.

Ceremony to honor former Maryland head coach Gary Williams and name the court after him. Not gonna lie, my brain leaked out my eyes a little bit at this.

I realize not everyone agrees with it, but this was a fitting tribute to a man who came to embody Maryland basketball and everything for which the program stands. It was broken when he took over as head coach, and he took it to the very top. Yes, there were others who did great things for the team and the university - it wasn’t all Gary.

But Gary’s an enormous part of the reason you walk past that national championship trophy case when you enter Comcast Center - he’s a big part of the reason the Comcast Center even exists - and donation or no donation, I’m thrilled the university decided to honor his legacy this way.

It’s not Garyland anymore, but Gary Williams Court sounds pretty darn good.

Every year on the occasion of the Maryland-Duke game (and sometimes in between, when I need a pick-me-up), I watch the video of former Terp Dave Neal taking Duke’s Nolan Smith OUT during the 2009 game at Comcast Center.

Seriously, I’ve seen concrete walls that can’t set a screen that solid. And then! To finish with the 3-pointer! It’s all the reasons I love Dave Neal rolled into one clip.

My ab-fab favorite part about it?

I was there.

I went to great lengths to procure tickets for my dad for Christmas, and we got every bit of my money’s worth (unfortunately, I also set the bar for Christmas presents impossibly high).

My dad’s a big Terps fan, but until then, he’d never been to a game. Lemme tell ya, it would’ve been tough to pick a better one.

The Maryland-Duke game in College Park is, at least for Maryland fans, one of the most awesome sporting events imaginable. The atmosphere is so frenzied, so emotionally charged, that it’s tough to even describe. And when Maryland actually plays well against Duke and it’s a close game, the atmosphere is like frenzied running on too little sleep and way, way too much Red Bull. Or Four Loko. Insane.

Imagine that wild atmosphere, and then add in a Maryland fan favorite (Neal), a hated rival, a block that a linebacker would admire, and a beautiful, clutch, three-point shot. Can it possibly get any better than that? Some might say yes, like if they’d managed to hold on for the win, but for this Terps-crazy sports nut and her papa, you know, I don’t think it could.

Although, the following year, I was at Comcast Center when Duke came to town as the top-ranked team and LOST and Jordan Williams dunked on Jon Scheyer on a no-look pass from Greivis Vasquez right in front of me.

That came really, really close to usurping Dave Neal’s screen for the title of Most Awesome Sports Moment Ever, but c’mon, there’s just no usurping Dave Neal.

This year’s game itself probably won’t be one of those unforgettable ones (it wouldn’t shock me if it’s one Terps fans would rather forget), but after a pregame ceremony, it’ll be the first game played on Gary Williams Court. It’s an incredible, well-deserved honor for a man who defined Maryland basketball.

If you’re going, I’m envious. And when you’re there, do me (and yourself) a favor. Look around. Take it in. Join the crazy crowd and yell something at Duke that the administration probably won’t approve of. Look at that wall of screaming, fanatical fans in the student section, and realize that all of them, and all the great games and unforgettable finishes in recent memory, all of them are the work of Gary Williams.

Except that screen. That’s all Dave Neal.

Guess what’s in this package?

Oh, you know, just an awesome vintage-y Ravens sweatshirt from a Junk Food sample sale.

Womp.

Nothing like getting brand new super awesome fabulous team gear two days after your team’s season ends. I might just let this package sit unopened for awhile.

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God has never made a mistake. He has never made one mistake. It ain’t about one play, it ain’t about nothing. This year, we did what we was supposed to do. We fought as a team. There will be one Super Bowl champ crowned at the end of this year. That’s it. The way we feel, somebody is gonna feel like that tomorrow, somebody is gonna feel like that in a week. That’s a fact. And the fact is, we gotta come back and go to work to make sure we finish it next time. That’s all we gotta do. Joe, you played your ass off. You hear me man? I’m telling you man, don’t ever, don’t ever drop your head when it comes to a loss. Cause there’s too much pain outside of this, that people are really going through. This right here makes us stronger. Let’s understand who we are as a team. Let’s understand who we are as men. Let’s make somebody smile when we come outta here. We got the opportunity to keep going. Let’s be stronger as a team. Let’s be who we are. Ravens on 3.

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Ray Lewis, post-game speech (via baltimoresportsreport)

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If “ifs” and “buts” were candies and nuts, it would be Christmas every day.

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Words of Wisdom from Phill of The Daily Phill for all you Ravens and Niners fans reliving yesterday’s painful games.

Yeah it stings - a lot - but in the end, it’s a game. There are more important things. Hug someone today. It’ll make you (and them) feel better.

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