• Spinelli arrives at College Park after spending four
seasons as Associate Head Coach at Texas A&M, where he was
recognized by several media outlets as one of the top assistant
coaches in the nation, and helped lead the Aggies to
four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Known as a solid tactician and outstanding recruiter,
Spinelli has been responsible for landing many nationally ranked
recruiting classes at various coaching stops including A&M and
fellow Big 12 school, Nebraska, where he spent three
seasons.
• Possessing a keen eye for talent, Spinelli spent time
earlier in his career as a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers --
evaluating Atlantic 10 and Big East players.
Diary Series: Scott Spinelli, Asst. Coach - Maryland
Happy New Year to everyone from all of us here the University of Maryland Men’s Basketball.
Currently our team is off to a 12-4 start having bounced back to win two straight home ACC contests after losing our first ACC game on the road at NC State last Sunday. On the road in conference play, it is crucial to play for the entire 40 minutes and make free throws. There are four specific things that we talk about as it relates to winning on the road. We must defend, rebound, value possessions and play with poise. With so many young guys playing meaningful minutes, it was encouraging to see how well we played at times in front of 18,000 fans.
Our team is gradually getting better. We have shown significant improvement in all our areas from our execution on offense to our overall team defense. Terrell Stoglin continues to improve not just as a scorer but as a defender and as a facilitator. Terrell currently leads the ACC in scoring at 20.9 points per game and is shooting just over 43 percent from the field.
Our first recruit here at Maryland, Alex Len, was recently awarded ACC Rookie of the Week. Alex has given us an inside presence on both ends of the floor. His best basketball is most definitely ahead of him and we look for him to get better and better as the season continues.
Pe’Shon Howard’s return has also given us a huge boost at the point guard position. Pe’Shon has been instrumental in helping us win by doing “whatever it takes.” He had nine defensive rebounds and eight assists in two recent games after being out the first nine games of the season.
Our incoming recruiting class continues to impress in their senior seasons. Jake Layman had 40 points, 21 rebounds and 8 blocks in a recent win. Jake is having a great all-around season. Shaquille Cleare has been averaging about 26 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks per game and his Village High School Team in Houston has already won 20 games. Seth Allen broke a bone in his hand and will be returning in a few weeks. Seth is also having a great season and is averaging 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4 steals per game.
Overall, we are excited at the direction of where this years team is heading as well as the overall direction of the program.
* * *
