Terrapins strut into a new season

If coach Gary Williams is to be believed, the Maryland basketball team might turn out to be a fun-to-watch group of coachable throwbacks.

If nothing else, their debut during last night’s Midnight Madness at near-capacity Comcast Center had a distinctly vintage flavor.

Senior forward Bambale Osby, himself a classic car aficionado who owns four Cadillacs, rode onto the court in the passenger seat of a friend’s black 1960 Cadillac Convertible to highlight the Terrapins’ festivities.

Clad in white suits and top hats, red bowties and sunglasses, the Terps unveiled a dance routine they practiced for four days — with the help of cheerleaders who doubled as choreographers.

“It was hot. It was pretty exciting,” Osby said. “[The best part] was definitely the convertible, because nobody was expecting that. … It couldn’t have gotten better this. Everybody just had fun and it was an exciting atmosphere all night long.”

The loudest cheers during individual introductions were reserved for guard Greivis Vasquez, senior James Gist and Osby, who was greeted with a hearty “Boooom.”

Williams then entered in a yellow Lamborghini — preceded by a skit on the video board featuring Osby as a traffic cop tasked with frightening opposing fans and then smiling approvingly as they ran away — and addressed the crowd before an intrasquad scrimmage.

In front of a crowd that included shooting guard Sean Mosley — who committed in August — and about a half-dozen other recruits, the decidedly new-look Terps provided a glimpse of the many changes since a second round loss to Butler in the NCAA tournament last March.

In are six freshmen, including Baltimore big man Braxton Dupree, some of whom must etch out roles on a team that lost five senior regulars. The Terps also sported their new uniforms with spots down the back side of the jersey and pants, a look that retained the team’s traditional image but still managed to add a bit of flair.

There was also the team’s dance routine. In the middle of that madness was Osby, who seemed very much in his element twirling a white cane as a white hat sat snugly in his ’fro.

“It was actually his idea to come out in the Cadillac,” Gist said. “When we thought about it, we were like ’Let’s ask Coach and see what he says.’ Coach was cool with it, so it was like ’Let’s go ahead and do it.’ ”

The Maryland women’s team also was introduced. The Terps return four starters who played prominent roles for the 2006 national championship team and the squad that reached the second round of last year’s tournament.

The men practice at 10 this morning, the start of a vital stretch leading into the Nov. 11 season opener against North Florida.

“College basketball now, you play so early and you need a starting point,” Williams said. “I always thought Midnight Madness was the start of college basketball. Some of those games in November and December get lost in college football and pro football and all that stuff that’s going on. I think Midnight Madness is good in that it starts college basketball.”

Not to mention that it gives players a release before the real work gets under way.

“This is the time to have fun,” Gist said. “We’re having fun tonight and tomorrow we start practice, and I think that’s when the real fun begins.”