Greivis Vásquez
| Greivis Vasquez | |
|---|---|
 Vasquez being introduced during Midnight Madness in 2009 | |
| College | University of Maryland (2006–present) |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Point guard, combo guard[1] |
| Class | Senior |
| Major | American Studies |
| Career | 2007–present |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Born | January 16, 1987 Caracas, Venezuela |
| High school | Montrose Christian School, Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Career highlights | |
| Honors | |
| |
Greivis Vasquez (January 16, 1987) is a Venezuelan basketball player. He was a senior guard on the University of Maryland men's basketball team where he ranked second all-time among Maryland scorers, with 2,171 points.[2] Vasquez is considered a first-round NBA draft prospect.[3]
He was born in Caracas and moved to the United States to attend high school at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland in 2002.[4] During his senior year at Montrose, he committed to The University of Maryland to play under head coach Gary Williams.
In 2007, Vasquez played on the Venezuelan national basketball team in the FIBA America Championships. He is currently one of three Venezuelan college basketball players; David Cubillan of the Marquette Golden Eagles and Gregory Echenique of the Creighton Bluejays are the others.
Childhood and schooling
Vasquez grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived with his parents, Ivis Rodriguez and Gregorio Vasquez, and brother, Ingerman Sanoya. At Montrose Christian, Vasquez played under head coach Stu Vetter, and helped the Mustangs post a 43–5 record over his junior and senior seasons. While at Montrose Christian he played with future college and NBA star Kevin Durant.
College career
Freshman year (2006–07)
In the beginning of his freshman year (2006–07), Vasquez did not start for the Terps, but still played solid minutes. Midway through the season, he began starting at the 2 guard position, alongside fellow freshman Eric Hayes at the starting point guard position. He remained a starter for the rest of the season. He heavily contributed to the Terrapins' six-game winning streak at the end of the season, giving Maryland a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vasquez averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season, and shooting percentages of 44.4 for field goals, 31.6 for three-pointers, and 79.8 for free throws.[2]
Sophomore year (2007–08)
Vasquez had per-game averages of 17 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.7 rebounds, and shooting percentages of 43.2 for field goals, 30.9 for three-pointers, and 78.2 for free throws.[2]
Junior year (2008–09)
As a junior, Vasquez led the Terrapins in scoring (17.5), rebounds (5.4), assists (5.0), steals (1.40), and minutes (34.6 per game). He became the first Terrapin basketball player to ever lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in a single season, and only the 6th player to ever accomplish that task in the ACC. On February 21, 2009, Vasquez registered a then career-high 35 points, to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists—Maryland's third triple-double in history and the first since 1987—in a come-from-behind 88–85 overtime win over UNC.[5] [6] At the end of his junior year, Vasquez ranked 7th in scoring, 3rd in FT percentage (.867), 3rd in assists per game, 3rd in assist/turnover ratio (1.80), and 5th in minutes per game in the ACC. He reached double-figures in scoring in 57 of his last 61 games, including his last 17. In Maryland's final 10 games, he had five 20-point games as well.[7] He was named Second-Team All-ACC at the close of the regular season.[8]
Senior Year (2009–10)
Currently a senior, Vasquez is averaging 19.5 points, 6.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game over 28 games. Vasquez is the only player in the country averaging more than 18 points and 6 assists per game.
He is the winner of the 2010 Bob Cousy Award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's best collegiate point guard, edging out Sherron Collins (Kansas), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Jon Scheyer (Duke), Evan Turner (Ohio State), and John Wall (Kentucky),[9]. In a game against Georgia Tech on February 20, 2010, Vasquez scored the 2,000th point of his collegiate career, making him the only player in ACC history with totals of at least 2,000 points, 700 assists, and 600 rebounds.[10] The following week, Vasquez set a new career scoring high with 41 points in the Terrapins' double-overtime victory at Virginia Tech.[11] Vasquez also scored 20 in Maryland's home win over Duke on senior night, making some clutch baskets in the final minutes of the game. Vasquez helped guide Maryland to a tie for top spot in the conference. He was named a unanimous first-team All-ACC selection on March 8, 2010, and the ACC Player of the Year on March 9, 2010, beating out Duke's Jon Scheyer and Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney.[12][13]
References
- ^ The Vasquez Q&A, The Washington Times, May 21, 2009.
- ^ a b c Greivis Vasquez stats
- ^ 2010 NBA Mock Draft, retrieved March 12, 2010
- ^ Tysiac, Ken. "Q&A with Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez", Sporting News, November 29, 2007. Accessed December 1, 2007. "Q: What was Kevin Durant like when you played with him at Montrose Christian?"
- ^ Vasquez records triple-double to lead Maryland's rally past No. 3 UNC
- ^ "Greivis Vasquez, Maryland upsets North Carolina". Interbasket.net. February 21, 2009.
- ^ "Greivis Vasquez Basketball Profile". UMTerps.com.
- ^ "Greivis Vasquez named second-team All-ACC". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/2010/03/vasquez_named_one_of_six_cousy.html
- ^ Ginsburg, David (February 20, 2010). "Maryland squeezes past Georgia Tech 76–74". Associated Press. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ "Terps outlast Va. Tech in double overtime". Baltimore Sun. February 27, 2010.
- ^ "ACC Announces 2009–10 All-ACC Teams".
- ^ "Terrapins' Vasquez Named ACC Player of the Year". TheACC.com. March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.