Vasquez, Hayes show improvement through growing pains

An early run made it an easy night for the Terrapin men's basketball team against Florida A&M, but it wasn't an empty win, especially for the freshman guards.

Highly touted for their basketball senses, Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez picked the perfect night to go through some growing pains and show dramatic improvement.

It was certainly a process for Hayes and Vasquez, who had some problems but oozed confidence and made plenty of big plays.

Early in the first half, Hayes badly missed an alley-oop pass to senior forward Ekene Ibekwe and turned the ball over in the process. It was a quick learning curve, as Hayes made up for it less than two minutes later. With a very subtle move, he lofted a ball in the perfect spot for junior forward James Gist, who dunked it to thunderous applause.

Later, Hayes delivered entry passes into the paint, making up for his three turnovers with five assists.

"I'm definitely learning. I just gotta pick my spots," Hayes said. "It's just a learning experience; I think I'm learning from my mistakes."

Hayes has assimilated to the college game with little visible difficulty, while Vasquez has had to play out of position. The former Montrose Christian point guard committed two turnovers and had some defensive miscues, but he managed the fast break with the poise of a veteran and finished with a team-high seven assists.

"[When] I make a mistake, I gotta keep my head in the game," Vasquez said. "I just gotta keep getting better."

Blowing out Florida A&M 93-54 also allowed the emotional Vasquez to enjoy himself. Midway through the second half, Vasquez hit a lay-up and was fouled. Upon watching the ball flutter through the net, he did a little celebratory dance. Just a few minutes later, Vasquez drilled a 3-pointer to put the Terps up by 33 points, and he posed in his shooting position as he backpedaled down the court.

"I wake up every day early in the morning to work on my shot," Vasquez said. "So I was upset I missed some tough shots. I held my hand out there. I'm just trying to have fun."

Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.