Alex

If you're a Maryland fan, you hope for incremental progress this season. You hope to see an upward arc. Coach Mark Turgeon said today that the next step for his young team is to win a road game, particularly one against a team it is not expected to beat. Miami has the same conference record as the Terps (3-3) so a victory in Coral Gables on Wednesday night wouldn't be too surprising. But it would be Maryland's first road win of the season. The Terps are 0-3 on the road (0-2 in ACC games)

Maryland center Alex Len came off the bench Wednesday after being a starter in the previous eight games. Len was nursing a sore ankle. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said Friday that the 7-footer may not start against Virginia Tech on Saturday, even though the ankle seems healed. "We brought him off the bench (against Duke). I'm pretty sure I'm going to do that again tomorrow and just see if that helps him relax," Turgeon said. As you can tell, that's not set in stone. Len picked up two quick fouls against the Blue Devils and his playing time was limited.

It is the question Maryland basketball fans seem to be asking themselves. Heck, it's the question Mark Turgeon must be asking himself when he goes to sleep at night and gets up in the morning What has happened to Alex Len? The player who had Terps fans chanting "We love you Alex" during his impressive debut last month against Albany and then followed up with equally strong performances against Radford and Cornell has slowly disappeared in Maryland's four ACC games. Except for a few spurts on the offensive end against N.C. Stateand on the defensive end against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, the 7-1 freshman from the Ukraine has looked out of sync.

"He looked like a man among boys. " That's what Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said tonight about Florida State center Bernard James, a 26-year-old shot blocker who served with the Air Force in southern Iraq. James scored 17 points and had six rebounds. Maryland center Alex Len looked somehow diminished against James and the rest of Florida State's front court, which comes at you in waves. Big waves. The Education of Alex Len, these most recent Maryland games might be called.

Alex Len got the ball on the wing and hesitated. Then Maryland's 7-foot-1 center took off toward the lane with surprising ease and coordination. Unfortunately for Maryland, Len's second-half drive and layup was his only field goal in Florida State's 84-70 victory Tuesday night in Tallahassee. While the basket showed a glimmer of Len's versatility, Maryland coach Mark Turgeon suggested he will need much more from the Ukrainian now that the team's schedule has gotten more challenging.

Maryland freshman center Alex Len has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week. Len averaged 13.5 points and 10 rebounds last week. The Antratsit, Ukraine native scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Terps' 70-62 win over Cornell on Tuesday. In the Terps' 79-74 loss at North Carolina State on Sunday night, Len recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds. In four games this season, Len is averaging 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He's shooting 20-for-26 (76.9 percent)

I profiled Maryland point guard Pe'Shon Howard in a story for Sunday's paper . That's an interview you look forward to. Howard is smart, reflective and fun. What else would you expect from a player nicknamed "Hollywood P' who once dribbled the ball between an opponent's legs in a summer game before continuing a fast break? You can check out the accompanying video of a portion of the interview. I knew Howard grew up in Los Angeles. But I didn't know that the man who raised him was a hair stylist who has worked on a long string of films and met numerous A-list stars.  My story was about Pe'Shon, but I interviewed Bill Howard as well to get perspective.

Here are notes on Maryland's 83-72 victory over Albany. Might this be the game where things  turn in the Terps' favor? The players keep saying that having 7-footer Alex Len (14 points, eight rebounds) in the lineup -- along with recently-returned point guard Pe'Shon Howard -- makes it feel like a new team. With Len on the low block, Maryland's work-in-progress offense more closely resembles a Gary Williams offense to me. Williams liked his offense to go inside-out -- beginning with passes in to the post.

COLLEGE PARK - Who would have imagined that this - an early-season game against an America East foe during a sleepy holiday-season week - could turn into an event? But the fans at Maryland's 83-72 victory over Albany clearly felt they were seeing something special as 7-footer Alex Len made his regular-season debut by hitting his first five shots - four of them dunks - en route to a 14-point, eight-rebound performance. Even with Len on the floor, Maryland (8-3) lost an early 13-point lead and had to hold on at the end. But, at worst, the game marked the fans' introduction to an intriguing - if raw - big man. Len, who has been practicing with the team and was a surprise starter Wednesday night, missed the first 10 games of the season as a penalty for having previously signed with a club overseas.

The debut of Maryland center Alex Len tonight against Albany brings to mind other first games for former Terps. Coming into College Park, most were more celebrated than 7-footer from the Ukraine, but few were as important as Len could be to this season's Maryland team. Len is something of a mystery, but there are well-respected coaches and scouts who believe that Len could become a first-round NBA draft choice. First-year Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has done his best to downplay Len's potential,  and probably won't start him right away to allow him to get acclimated.    But Len's debut certainly has Terps fans buzzing, and has Turgeon hoping that the freshman will help his young team continue to grow.