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Ten Questions With Maryland Basketball Fans Brad Parker and Andy Peden
By Jamie Mottram | November 19, 2007
After three games against inferior competition, the Maryland basketball season begins tonight in Kansas City against No. 2-ranked UCLA. Here to kick things off are Terps athletic correspondents Andy Peden and Brad Parker, who you may remember from our Maryland football preview.
Dive in after the jump, and let’s hope that the scare against Northeastern was an aberration on the way to James Gist, Greivis Vasquez and Bambale Osby becoming household names by the time March Madness is over and done with.
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1. Do Maryland fans deserve their bad reputation?
Peden: It’s all a matter of perception … Like in 2002 when MD played at UVA and the students chanted “Crackhead Parents” at Juan Dixon. It’s a tough thing to justify to him when both parents died when he was a teenager.
Parker: That depends on your definition of “bad.” Are fans bad because they throw bottles at an opponent’s mom? Because they sing “You Suck” at the opponents? Because they taunt an opposing player’s teenaged sister? If anything they should get extra credit for getting J.J. Redick’s cell number and bombarding him with calls all day and night when all he was trying to do was write poetry.
2. Have any good gameday stories?
Peden: I remember when the MD students pulled out the F*ck Duke shirts for the first time. I offered a student $50 for the shirt and he wouldn’t sell it.
Parker: I’ll always remember having seats near the Wake family section for a game back when Muggsy Bogues was on the Bullets/Wizards. He strolled by us in a full-length (well, full-length for him) mink coat.
3. How badly do you miss Cole Field House?
Parker: Well, we had our second daughter this summer. Had it been a son, his middle name was to be Cole. So, that much.
Peden: Cole was awesome. It was an old building with no A/C and two bathrooms but there wasn’t a bad seat in the house and it was loud.
4. Moving onto present day, who are the top three teams in the ACC this season?
Peden: UNC is clearly the best team. NC State will be good along with Clemson, UVA, MD and Duke.
5. Where does Maryland rank?
Parker: There’s a bunch of teams that could step up and be in the top three. MD is one of them. If Gist plays like he apparently did all summer and the guards continue to improve they could be dangerous.
6. Do the Terps have the best backcourt in the ACC?
Parker: Yes. I love Vasquez as much as he loves taking over games in the final two minutes. [Eric] Hayes is as solid as can be and ready to become another Steve Blake.
Peden: I think that UNC has exceptional guards but after than I don’t think you would trade Hayes and Vasquez for anyone.
7. Can Gist step up to be an all-conference type of player?
Peden: I don’t think there is anyone with Gist’s athletic ability and size in the ACC. He’s 6’8’’ and can get off his feet quickly. He has improved his mid-range game and is a strong defender. If he can stay out of trouble, then he can be an All-ACC player.
8. Who’s the last Terp you loved as much as Osby?
Parker: Wow, that’s tough. He’s like Vernon Davis playing basketball. I guess I would have to go way old school and say Keith Gatlin or maybe Keith Booth.
Peden: Going back a few years, it was Curtis Schultz. He played in the 90s and was about 6’5’’ 265 of steel. Everyone loved it when he came into the game because he was a TE playing basketball.
9. Aside from Vasquez, Hayes, Gist and Osby, is there anyone good on this team?
Parker: It’ll be fun to see if Landon Milbourne is a player.
Peden: [Adrian] Bowie is expected to be a big contributor along with Cliff Tucker. Tucker was a late signer but he is a highly rated wing player.
10. Care to talk shit about Duke per chance?
Peden: [Greg] Paulus is extremely overrated. He’s not a great shooter and he is a defensive liability. Duke has two post players on the team, [Brian] Zoubek who is a stiff and Lance Thomas who is undersized. They are going to have to run four guards most of the time which will eventually get them into trouble. I’m not convinced that a 6’8’’ white guy is the savior of this team … Lastly, I like that Duke claims that MD is not a rival yet with their new ticketing system there are only two games that students will camp out for: UNC and MD. Duke doesn’t want to claim MD as a rival because MD isn’t intimidated by them and has a pretty good record going back about six or seven years.
Parker: This is Duke sucks.
Topics: Parker and Peden, College Hoops, Maryland |
4 Responses to “Ten Questions With Maryland Basketball Fans Brad Parker and Andy Peden”
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November 19th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Scott Van Pelt would definitely have a brew with these dudes.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Shouldn’t that ACC Championship photo be in an album somewhere, protected from smudges and fingerprints? It’s gotta last another 20 years.
November 19th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
People in Charlotte hate Vasquez, which I can totally understand. I love him, but if he was on Duke — with his “fiery” attitude — I’d f’ing loathe that man.
November 19th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
People in North Carolina hate Maryland. No offense.