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With Tyler Hansbrough and Greg Paulus no longer around, fiery Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez expects to become ACC basketball fans' biggest target of verbal abuse this season.
His response: Bring it on.
"Some schools, some fans, really hate me, but ... the games are more fun when you have somebody you really hate, and you really want to do bad," said the senior from Venezuela. "I have fun playing the game, and I have fun when fans are yelling at me. For some reason, that motivates me to play even better."
Vasquez, who "tested the NBA waters" during the offseason but opted to pull his name out of the draft, has done his best to raise the ire of opposing fan bases over the past three years. Last season, he became the first Terrapins player to lead his team in points (17.5), rebounds (5.4), assists (5.0), steals (1.4) and minutes played (34.6).
And he's never been afraid to share his feelings, whether it was putting a finger to his lips and telling his own fans to pipe down last year when his team was trailing Georgia Tech (the Terps eventually won), or when he told reporters before Maryland's second-round NCAA Tournament game against Memphis that the Tigers would have a losing record if they played in the ACC, and that they needed some "competition." (The Terps lost 89-70.)
"Those kind of (emotional) players are usually great to coach because most of them are so coachable," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "They bring the same enthusiasm to practice that fans see on game days. It's not put-on. You just don't find many players who have as much heart as Greivis."
Or as much passion to win. Maryland was predicted to finish fifth in the league by the media last weekend, based mostly on Vasquez's return. And although he finished second to Duke's Kyle Singler in the voting for preseason player of the year, he made it clear that he wants to become the new "face" of the league, after the loss of the likes of Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Florida State's Toney Douglas.
"I think I can be that guy," Vasquez said.
Especially if it means enraging, then quieting, opposing crowds with his personality and play.
He says his favorite place to compete on the road in the ACC is Virginia Tech, "because it's just so loud."
But he also can't wait to travel to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium again - first, because he wants to win there, and second, because the fans like to taunt him in his native language.
"Duke is the best at saying mean things and talking about my country. The good thing is, (a lot of them) say it in Spanish, so I can understand what they're saying pretty well," he said, grinning. " ... And they do their research, because they know everything that's going on in my country right now. They will know it, and they will make fun of it. In Spanish. So I think that's funny, that's interesting, I like that."
Bring it on.
A slimmer Ginyard
So what's the key to North Carolina guard Marcus Ginyard's 20-plus pound weight loss?
"Not eating a lot of these,'' he quipped last weekend, pulling a snack-sized bag of M&M's out of his sports coat pocket.
The senior had to give up a lot of his other favorite foods to get down to his current, leaner weight of 205, but he says it's worth it. After having to redshirt last season because of a foot injury, he says he feels quicker than ever.
"He's down to where he can move again, he's explosive again," said Tar Heels coach Roy Williams "... I do see him being just as explosive, if maybe not even a little more so, than I saw the year before."
When Ginyard topped out at around 230 pounds last January, he said he knew something had to change. He hit the weight room, changed to a healthier diet, and as the weight melted way, so did some of the post-workout soreness in his surgically repaired foot.
As a result, his conditioning improved, which is important for a guy who, before his injury, almost always was called upon to chase the opposing team's best perimeter player.
And although he's been working out mostly at shooting guard, he'll probably get minutes at point guard and small forward, too, so his ability to play plenty of minutes is key.
"To be at this level and play your best, you've got to do anything and everything you can," said Ginyard, who snuck a bit of chocolate during the ACC's media day, but skipped the ice cream social. "... There's no question that having that extra quickness and being lighter on your feet is a big positive for me."
