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Starting lineup still a 'guessing game' for Turgeon, Terps

Despite a five-game winning streak that has helped build his young team's confidence and the addition of two important players that have given the Terps depth and flexibility, coach Mark Turgeon is still not sure who he will start from game to game.

The first-year coach has played five different starting lineups in 11 games, and he could add a sixth when Maryland (8-3) hosts Samford (3-8) Saturday at 2 p.m.

"Every day is different with this team," Turgeon said Friday. "I use the word immaturity, inexperience, however you want to say it, we have a ways to go to be more consistent. Sometimes it's more of a guessing game. And then once I figure out who's playing well, then that's who I'm going to play."

Even Terrell Stoglin's security as a starter is not a given. Turgeon disclosed that he planned to not start the sophomore guard in Wednesday's 83-72 win over Albany. After being told at the team's practice the day before, the nation's fifth-leading scorer asked his coach why he wasn't going to start for the first time since being benched briefly in the season opener.

"I said, 'I don't think you can guard anybody," Turgeon recalled. "And he said, 'Coach, I'll guard tonight.' And he did. He at least guarded his man, for most of the time he was in there. He wasn't a great team defender, but he at least made a step in the right direction."

Like Stoglin, who led the Terps with 22 points in their first double-digit win of the season, Maryland seems to be making strides as the start of the Atlantic Coast Conference season inches closes. The Terps will open their ACC schedule a week from Sunday at North Carolina State.

The return of Pe'Shon Howard after the sophomore point guard missed the first nine games with a broken foot, and the availability of 7-foot-1 Alex Len, the freshman center from the Ukraine who sat out the first 10 games after being suspended by the NCAA, have raised the talent level dramatically. They have also served to shorten Turgeon's leash.

"I told the team [Thursday] in films, 'Actually yesterday was the first game of the year,'" Turgeon said. "It was the first time we had a rotation, the first time guys came out for mistakes. We've allowed them to develop bad habits because they've played through mistakes. It was the first time guys were like, 'Oh I didn't get to play 30 minutes'. You usually have that in November. We had that on Dec. 28th. It's a new phase for us and we're going through it right now. Hopefully guys will buy in and do what they have to do."

For Stoglin, it is a commitment to playing defense. Recalling the conversation they had before the Albany game, Turgeon said he told Stoglin, "You can continue to guard like you're guarding and we'll win 12 games, or you can change and maybe we can do something special. He said, 'I want to do something special.' So we'll see. The kid's trying. No one's ever asked him to guard before."

Speaking after the game Wednesday, Stoglin said having Howard (11 points, eight assists, six turnovers against Albany) and Len (14 points, eight rebounds, five turnovers and three blocks in his debut) has made Maryland "looking more like a team now."

With Howard back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench against Radford, freshman guard Nick Faust (City) came off the bench for the first time this season. He finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes, his shortest stint by seven minutes since coming to Maryland.

Though Faust continues to struggle with his outside shot — he was 0 for 3 on 3-pointers against Albany, making him 5 of 30 for the season — Turgeon said Faust had "good numbers across the board" and is pleased that after having nearly as more turnovers (25) than assists (20) his first nine games, Faust had six assists and no turnovers the last two.

Asked how Faust is taking to losing his starting spot, Turgeon said, "I think he understands, he might not like it. But that doesn't mean he's going to be on the bench every game. Doesn't mean Nick might not start tomorrow, I don't know yet. But he's going to play and that's what's important."

Faust is one of many who might be in the mix for the starting lineup against Samford.

"I want to make the right decisions so I keep everybody engaged," Turgeon said. "I don't want a guy not to practice hard and still start because [other players] will say, 'Why should I try? You've got to make the right decisions on this. There might be some changes tomorrow."

don.markus@baltsun.com

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