"I think Jake was struggling because he had such high expectations," Turgeon said. "Because he made that under-18 U.S. team put even more expectations on him. Was I concerned? Yes, but I [also] wasn't concerned because he kept practicing hard every day.
"And he went home for Christmas and he re-grouped. He's got great family. And we believe in him. I started coaching Jake a little bit different. He doesn't need to be screamed and yelled at. He just needs to be coached. So we started doing that. And today was just a huge day for him."
Ask Layman and he'll tell you getting away from campus during the break was what helped tun his game around.
-
- E-mail | Recent columns
-
Terps basketball: 2012-13 season [Pictures]
-
Terps kick off ACC play with a 94-71 win over Virginia Tech
-
Terps Trio: Maryland's hoops record, Big Ten perks, Dwayne Morgan & Phil Booth
-
See more stories »
-
-
Comcast Center, University of Maryland, 2001 Paint Branch Drive, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Back home in Massachusetts, he cleared his head and tried to assess his game as honestly as he could.
"Going home for four days, it helped me think about what kind of player I wanted to be and how I could help this team," he said.
And what was his conclusion?
"I needed to score the ball more than I was," he said.
So that's what he did against the Hokies, flying around the court to get open, knocking down shots with confidence, mixing it up for tip-ins with the big boys inside.
Again, it was a break-out performance. It was the Jake Layman the Terps had been waiting to see.
Now we'll see if he can do it again. It would sure make Mark Turgeon's life easier this season.
twitter.com/kevincowherdsun
Listen to Kevin Cowherd Tuesdays at 7:20 a. m. on 105.7 The Fan's "The Norris and Davis Show."
Text TERPS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Terps sports text alerts
