Someone posted on my Facebook wall "should Maryland fire Gary Williams?" I post this as the reply I will give everyone. Hyperlinks are so much easier to post than repeated paragraphs ;-)
Gary has earned more slack than any coach in Division I. Any expectations people have for the program have only Gary to thank. He built this out of the rubble. Maryland basketball was as similar to our current economy as a college program could be when he got here. I used to get a ticket the day of a game and sit CLOSE to watch Walt Williams and Co. play. Yea we got played like suckers against Dook, but I also witnessed IN PERSON two Terps wins there that were amazing.
There is a real hypocracy that I feel many Maryland fans have when it comes to Gary. The reasons that they love to celebrate him and the team are completely forgotten about when they are down. If Gary wasn't a loyal alum, he would have left after watching the true colors of many of our fan base when the team got booed off the court during the Valentines Day loss to FSU a few years back before the team picked itself up and went on a historic string of victories that had cemented them as a team to be aware of at all times.
I know its been a while so it's hard for some people to remember, but the real bad times for this program were so much worse than they are now. I'll take 1999 - 2009 over 1986 - 1996 any day.
Yea Gary is abrasive sometimes and curses people out on occasion (I've even been on the receiving end of one or two of his yells and blank stares) but the bottom line is Gary IS Maryland basketball. His dislike of Duke is greater than most fans, and his sarcastic jabs at Coach K and the whole Carolina Elite of the ACC are priceless.
I miss Cole Field House, but I love the shiny new digs of Comcast Center. And while it might be nice to ponder who would also look good roaming the Maryland sidelines (Mark Few anyone) the thing is, Gary BUILT that shiny new building, and if he were to be ousted, it makes it very hard to make the RIGHT guy feel like Maryland is the best place for them to go.
Thanks for listening, and Go Terps.
Gary has earned more slack than any coach in Division I. Any expectations people have for the program have only Gary to thank. He built this out of the rubble. Maryland basketball was as similar to our current economy as a college program could be when he got here. I used to get a ticket the day of a game and sit CLOSE to watch Walt Williams and Co. play. Yea we got played like suckers against Dook, but I also witnessed IN PERSON two Terps wins there that were amazing.
There is a real hypocracy that I feel many Maryland fans have when it comes to Gary. The reasons that they love to celebrate him and the team are completely forgotten about when they are down. If Gary wasn't a loyal alum, he would have left after watching the true colors of many of our fan base when the team got booed off the court during the Valentines Day loss to FSU a few years back before the team picked itself up and went on a historic string of victories that had cemented them as a team to be aware of at all times.
I know its been a while so it's hard for some people to remember, but the real bad times for this program were so much worse than they are now. I'll take 1999 - 2009 over 1986 - 1996 any day.
Yea Gary is abrasive sometimes and curses people out on occasion (I've even been on the receiving end of one or two of his yells and blank stares) but the bottom line is Gary IS Maryland basketball. His dislike of Duke is greater than most fans, and his sarcastic jabs at Coach K and the whole Carolina Elite of the ACC are priceless.
I miss Cole Field House, but I love the shiny new digs of Comcast Center. And while it might be nice to ponder who would also look good roaming the Maryland sidelines (Mark Few anyone) the thing is, Gary BUILT that shiny new building, and if he were to be ousted, it makes it very hard to make the RIGHT guy feel like Maryland is the best place for them to go.
Thanks for listening, and Go Terps.
