My farewell to TerrapinStationMD

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: The Maryland Terrapins mascot celebrates with fans in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: The Maryland Terrapins mascot celebrates with fans in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

TerrapinStationMD has really come a long way over the years on the FanSided Network.

I’ve had the privilege to cover the Maryland Terrapins over the last five years. It’s been a pleasure to bring you the latest Maryland news and analysis, but the time has come for me to move along.

There have certainly been some very exciting moments followed by some of intense heartbreak.

One of the most intriguing events during my time with the site has to be Maryland’s move to the Big Ten. It was something that truly came as a shock to many fans around College Park.

The Terps had always been synonymous with the ACC, especially when it came to basketball. Guys like Len Bias, Steve Blake, Juan Dixon, and Greivis Vasquez were some of the most talented players that the southern-based conference has ever none.

Watching the rivalries with Duke and North Carolina go away was a tough pill to swallow. It was just hard to see the ragging schools like Virginia go away.

However, the Big Ten is arguably the most premier conference in college sports. That certainly made the move a little easier.

While the Big Ten move was definitely necessary, seeing Randy Edsall lead this conference alignment was gut-wrenching a vast majority of the time.

Edsall came from Connecticut with so much promise and he just didn’t deliver the way many thought he would. He did help Stefon Diggs to College Park and that was one of the greatest gifts that this institution has ever received.

The 2014 season does come to mind as one of the more fun ones. During that campaign, Diggs went over the century mark in receiving yards in four games and ended his Maryland career with a 10-reception, 138-yard performance against Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl.

While that’s all very exciting, one of the more polarizing moments was the infamous Penn State game in 2014. Diggs, Sean Davis, and P.J. Gallo refused to shake the hands of the Penn State captains at the coin toss.

Maryland was making a statement in the first meeting between these two programs and it certainly got people talking.

Edsall had some success, but it ultimately wasn’t enough and D.J. Durkin was brought in. Durkin is only in his second season with the program, but he’s done a great job on the recruiting trail and you can see the talent is there for Maryland.

The Terps went to a bowl game last season and could be headed back to postseason play if they play their cards right.

The basketball program has been very successful in recent years with Mark Turgeon at the helm. Again, the coaching staff has recruited extremely well.

Melo Trimble was the crown jewel for Turgeon and really carried this team over the past three seasons. The former Bishop O’Connell (Va.) standout could’ve went to any school in the country, but elected to stay close home.

Trimble was a joy to watch as he led Maryland to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. That came after not going dancing since the 2009-10 campaign when Gary Williams was still patrolling the bench.

As we move towards the future, the Terps have a great core of Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, and Justin Jackson that should continue to develop this season. In addition, Maryland has another great class coming in this season and once again in 2018.

There’s going to be a ton of talent in College Park, so this is a team that could be going to the Final Four more than once. I’ve always been a Turgeon defender and will continue to be.

This year’s team may be better than last year even with Trimble gone.

Maryland will always hold a special place in my heart. I was born in Frederick and lived in Middletown until the age of four. Despite not having the chance to live in the area as a youth, I adopted Maryland as my favorite college team.

My fondest memories are of that 2002 national title team. My greatest heartbreak will remain Maryland’s 2010 NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan State when Korie Lucious hit that devastating three at the buzzer.

Next: Wisconsin Q&A with Badger of Honor

The Terps will always be my favorite college team and I considered it an honor to be able to cover them over the past five years. For one last time, Fear The Turtle!