Gist lacking impact in losses

When analyzing the Terrapin men's basketball team's current slump, you can focus on many different points. You may see a team struggling to score or turning the ball over too much.

But you don't have to break anything down too much to realize that arguably the biggest reason the Terps have lost three of their past four games is James Gist's dramatic drop in production.

In the Terps' recent losses to Duke, Virginia Tech and Miami, Gist has averaged 8.7 points per game, down from 16.4 before the losses began. After the loss to the Hurricanes, coach Gary Williams and the senior forward both suggested the reason Gist is having a hard time lately is because other teams have made it a point to stop him after seeing his 30-point effort against N.C. State, a career high.

Since that night, Gist hasn't made more than three field goals in one game.

"When he got 30 in the one game, I think teams certainly took notice of him, and it's probably a little more crowded in there when he catches the ball," Williams said. "But, you know, there's a lot of ways to score, and we gotta figure out how to get him more looks."

In Gist's first game after his career high, Duke was physical with him and didn't let him get inside. Afterward, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted the Blue Devils were trying to contain Gist.

"Eventually we were able to not let Gist get open shots," he said. "He's been so hot from the outside, and I thought our kids defended him well."

Obviously, one player does not win or lose games for the Terps. But when Gist was scoring in the mid-to-high teens, the Terps were playing their best ball.

In the 16 wins Gist has been a part of (he did not play in the season opener), the 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 18.4 points per game. In the Terps' 11 losses, his scoring output is a meager 11.4 points per game.

"He's been kind of up and down," Williams said. "We do a good job of getting James the ball. ... You have to stay aggressive as a player. You have to get to the offensive glass if you have the skills that James does have, and you have to get to the free-throw line, and when he has his best games, those things do happen."

Gist's rebounding hasn't been as much of an issue as the scoring, but his foul trouble is a big part of the problem.

Recently, Gist has been unable to stay on the floor in large chunks like he used to earlier in the season. He has committed at least four fouls in each of the past four games, and against Miami, he only played 21 minutes.

Not only does it take one of the Terps' top scorers and rebounders out of the game, but it means Williams has to go to his bench, which has been the team's biggest flaw this season. Until freshman forward Jerome Burney showed some signs of life, the Terps had a lot of trouble getting production from any big men off the bench.

"Kills us, man, kills us," senior forward Bambale Osby said when asked how much the offense is affected when Gist is on the bench. "James is a potential all-conference player, and to have him sit on the bench, that doesn't really help us at all."

Added sophomore guard Eric Hayes: "I don't know how much it affected us. He's a big key for us and is a lot better on the court than on the bench."

There are two weeks left, and some will argue that the Terps will win or lose because of how the team played, which is a fair assessment. But there's no denying that the Terps win when Gist plays well, and they lose when he plays poorly.

"He's been a really good player for us this year, in terms of leadership and things like that," Williams said. "And I know he's looking forward to these next two weeks."

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