Gary

Longtime coach Gary Williams spoke with the media after Wednesday's court-naming ceremony at Comcast Center.  Here's what he had to say. Williams' opening remarks: "It's been a great ride. A lot of great people, as I said out there. Assistant coaches, players. It's always about the players. That determines your success. Not just their ability, but the character that they show. I've been proud to coach some really great people here at the University of Maryland, and people I'll be friends with the rest of my life.

Comcast Center was thick with memories Wednesday night. The nostalgia was created by the presence of retired Maryland coach Gary Williams, returning for one last pre-game fist pump to the student section as the court was dedicated in his name. It was fueled by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, former Terps star Juan Dixon and other architects of the long-standing Maryland-Duke rivalry. And then there was a basketball game. Maryland, trying to reclaim a rivalry that has been receding because of recent Duke dominance, was worn down by Duke's inside strength in a 74-61 Blue Devils victory at the loud, sold-out Comcast Center.

The Comcast Center basketball floor will feature not one, but two markings proclaiming it as "Gary Williams Court. " One of the markings -- with the former coach's signature in black, and "court" in red, block letters -- will appear near the visiting team bench. The other one will appear in the opposite corner -- across from the home-team bench. The two "Comcast" logos will remain in their usual spots on the floor. The new designs will be unveiled about 15 minutes before the start of Wednesday night's Duke-Maryland game, which begins at 9:00.

Maryland's decision to name the Comcast Center court for its all-time winningest men's basketball coach, Gary Williams, was bumpier than the public knew and came despite the objections from the coach with the second most wins in program history - Lefty Driesell. Driesell recently detailed his concerns in an email to chancellor William "Brit" Kirwan. The retired coach, 80, emphasized that he was not advocating for his own name on the court, nor that of any coach. "It's not fair to my players that they would put Gary Williams' name on the court," Driesell said Tuesday.

Et cetera Gary Williams takes job with ESPN 980 Former Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams , who works as an analyst for the Big Ten Network, will join ESPN 980, a Washington-based sports radio station, as its "college hoops insider. " Williams will appear weekly on "The Sports Fix" with Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro , and on "The Sports Reporters" with Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban . Williams will be on the station through April 3. More men's college basketball: Johns Hopkins junior guard Adam Spengler was named PrestoSports/Pride of Maryland Player of the Week.

Former Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams has added more broadcasting duties to his post-retirement life. Williams, who works as an analyst for the Big Ten Network, will join ESPN 980 -- a Washington-based sports radio station -- as its College Hoops Insider. Williams will appear weekly on the Sports Fix with Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro, and on the Sports Reporters with Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban. The former Terps coach will appear on the station through April 3 -- the day after the NCAA men's basketball championship game.

Random thoughts on offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's departure: *The details of Crowton's departure will be determined by a negotiation between Crowton and the school, according to a knowledgable source. There may be a negotiated buyout of the contract balance (or some of the balance).  *Crowton's hurry-up, spread offense looked good only sporadically. What the offense lacked was consistency. Partly because of injuries and suspensions, it seemed as if the offense was forvever shifting personnel.

Gary Crowton is out as Maryland's offensive coordinator, and his departure will be negotiated between him and the school, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. It could be that Crowton and Maryland will agree to a negotiated buyout under which the school will be responsible for some -- but not all -- of the balance of his three-year contract. He makes a guaranteed $500,000 per year. If Crowton were found in breach of contract, Maryland would not be responsible for the balance.

There's a good chance your blues career is on the right track if, at 27, you can count Eric Clapton as a fan. Gary Clark Jr., the prodigious guitar player from Austin, Texas, even counts the six-string legend as a friend. Last June, Clapton picked Clark as the lone newcomer on his Crossroads Guitar Festival bill. His blazing performance in Chicago was the talk of the show and left many of the 20,000 in attendance wondering, "Who is this guy?" Listen to reviewers and they'll say Clark, who plays a sold-out show at the 8x10 on Friday, is the man capable of bringing blues back to the mainstream, thanks to his virtuosic ability and a genuine aura of cool that never appears manufactured.

Terps first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton said today that he is interested in the Colorado State job "because I played there and at some point I want to be a head coach again" but that his focus is on turning Maryland's fortunes around. "I am very happy at Maryland. I am looking forward to having a winning season in 2012," Crowton replied to me in a text message. "I don't think there is much of a story at CSU at this point. My focus is on recruiting and finding ways to make the [Terps]