Bob Haynie: Len Changes Maryland's Dynamic
7'1 Alex Len made his Maryland hoops debut on Wednesday night and his presence was felt in many different ways.
Len had five dunks on his way to a 14-point night as he helped the Terps to a 83-72 victory over Albany. He also chipped in with eight rebounds as Maryland won their fifth straight game.
Not only did Len impact the box-score, he impacted the whole Maryland lineup. He added size and, along with the return of guard Pe'Shon Howard, has given coach Mark Turgeon some much needed depth.
Turgeon told me last week on The Bob and Rob Show that the freshman from the Ukraine would not start in his first game back from a 10 game NCAA mandated suspension. Well, he started.
Len's presence means that teams will now have to pay attention to what's happening in the paint for the Terps. Howard's return means that Turgeon now has a true point guard to get the ball into the post. Now, while teams are worrying about Len, Terrell Stoglin, who made six three-pointer's against the Great Danes on Wednesday, will have more freedom to do damage on the perimeter.
With his full compliment of players now healthy and eligible, Turgeon can put these players in their more natural positions and fully implement his style of play.
Maryland is still a work in progress and Len has only played one college game. Keep in mind, we haven't even made it to ACC play yet.
But the Terps are now more interesting than they were a week ago and maybe not as bad as some of us thought.
