Monday, February 4, 2013
New role for Terps' senior
By Matt Giles
Even though he is the lone senior on Maryland's roster, James Padgett's minutes have been dwindling all season. Charles Mitchell and Shaquille Cleare had been earning the majority of playing time alongside Alex Len, and at one point during ACC play, Padgett was leaving the Terps' bench for just a handful of minutes. However, during a recent loss to Florida State, the 6-foot-8 forward scored 6 points while using 31 minutes of action, and in the next game, a win over Wake Forest, Padgett was inserted into the starting lineup (he then scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds). According to Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post, Padgett will remain as a starter for the foreseeable future.
When asked why Padgett was suddenly starting and using more minutes, coach Mark Turgeon said the squad needed the boost -- in terms of rebounding and interior scoring -- that Padgett provides. It will be interesting if the senior continues to garner major minutes. It appeared as if he had fallen out of favor with the Maryland staff, as they were giving most of the frontcourt's minutes to freshmen, but Padgett does two things very well: he takes high percentage shots (converting 61 percent of his twos) and he hits the glass extremely hard (posting a 14.3 defensive rebounding percentage in limited time).
