| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
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Friday, Oct. 13
Okay, I have to say it. What the heck happened against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament?
That is the burning question fans and pundits are left with headed into the 2000-01 season, and the only question
mark about Maryland's chances as Gary Williams suits up his best team, and
the Terps' best shot at a Final Four since Len Elmore was regularly wearing
Chuck Taylor's.
Maryland showed very well in '99-00, booking its school record seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, and this season the Terps should challenge Duke and North Carolina for the ACC title.
As usual, Maryland will have its best team in a season when the ACC is going to be the strongest conference in the country. The Terps will have to go through Tobacco Road to win a conference title and get that No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But Maryland has one of the top five all-around players in the nation in Terence Morris, who takes a backseat in the ACC to the top all-around player in the nation, Duke's Shane Battier. Morris remains the key to this team. If he asserts himself as the go-to guy, Maryland could be hanging banners in Cole Field House.
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Frontcourt
Terence Morris has all the tools to be a truly great player, and he is just a hair away from being considered the best overall player in
the ACC.
But after a great sophomore season in which he was the only ACC player
to finish in the top 10 in field goal and free throw percentage, blocks,
rebounding, scoring and steals, Morris did not live up to the hype as a
junior. Morris had a terrific junior year, but the standards expected
of a truly great player were not met.
Not that he didn't have a great season. Morris did average 15.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game last season. He continued to show great touch from the perimeter or inside, shooting 49 percent from the field. He glides up and down the court, finishes strong, posts up players and rebounds at both ends.
With his long arms and athleticism, he will be an efficient scorer. And when fouled, he hits his free throws (76 percent). But he has been criticized for not taking more shots or demanding the ball more to exploit matchups.
His passing skills were tested by double teams last season and will be again this season. Expect Morris to rely more on his
inside skills and an attempt to dominate this season.
Lonny Baxter returns and should benefit from the attention defenses give to Morris. Baxter was second
in the ACC in rebounding (8.8) and field goal percentage (53 percent) a year ago and averaged 15.6 points per contest.
He is strictly an inside player who pounds his way to the basket and finishes with a nice touch. He makes quick reads and reacts as quickly. Baxter also has shown an assertiveness against some outstanding players.
Mike Mardesich is skilled and can run, but he needs to remain confident to be effective. Mardesich will come off the bench, as will Taj Holden, a quality rebounder with face-up skills that allow him to step out and shoot the ball from the perimeter.
Holden is skilled, can run the court well, has very good hands and is emerging as a good ACC player.
New to the Terps is 6-foot-10 freshman Chris Wilcox, who was a consensus top-50 recruit. He has the skills to find some minutes up front. Speaking of up front, 7-4 freshman Matt Slaninka will take up plenty of space in the locker room, on the practice court and
the bench, but he probably will not see much court time come game day.
|  | | Terence Morris gives the Terps the go-to player every national championship contender needs in March. |
Head coach Gary Williams is banking on Slaninka, from DeMatha, to develop over the long haul. It would not be a
surprise to see him take a redshirt year. LaRon Cephas, a 6-7 senior, will see spot duty at best.
Backcourt
For a player who gets selected to almost every international all-star team, puts up solid numbers and will point a
consensus top 10 team, Steve Blake sure seems to get criticized a lot.
Blake is an accomplished passer who was third in the nation in freshman assists, averaging 6.2 a game. He was one of only three players in the ACC to dish out more than 200 assists last season. He can shoot it if left open, hitting 36 percent of his shots from behind the arc while averaging seven points a game, and possesses the ability to get past faster defenders with the change of pace to make a play. Blake is also a good defender with good anticipation and gambling instincts to get steals.
When Blake has the ball, his first option in the backcourt is junior Juan Dixon, who led the Terps
in scoring (18.0), the ACC in steals (2.7) and put up big numbers in big games. After
playing inside in high school, Dixon is more than comfortable rebounding. He grabbed 5.5 boards a game last season, establishing himself as one of the best guard rebounders in the ACC.
Dixon is tough-minded, has a high work rate on the floor, can beat people to the spot and the ball
and simply gets things done out there. He has unlimited range and is very aggressive when looking for his shot.
Drew Nicholas is another very capable shooter with deep range. He made 34 percent of his shots from behind the arc and wasn't afraid to take his shot as a freshman, hoisting up 31 3-pointers a year ago. When he catches it, Nicholas is an immediate threat who looks at the basket and makes you guard him. With his quickness and scoring ability (5.1 ppg), Nicholas will be a good contributor off the bench and can break out for big games.
The new face is 6-6 Tulane transfer Byron Mouton, who led the Green Wave in scoring for two seasons. Mouton is big and strong and can play guard or small forward. He will provide another threat, but he will be even
more valuable on the defensive end.
Bottom Line
The Terps are a good passing team. They defend well and have weapons at every position. In short, Maryland has
every ingredient to be a Final Four team, except for the knowledge deep down
in their bones that they have won big games in the postseason spotlight.
But, how many teams really have that?
Maryland has been among the nation's most successful programs during the past six years, and although the
Terps have no ACC titles to show for it and have not advanced beyond the
Sweet 16, there is every indication that this season could be different.
The Terps have a difficult nonconference schedule, which should test them to the limit before the ACC wars begin. Williams is an underrated coach who has proved to be among the nation's best. He deserves far more credit
than he gets and only has to cut down some nets to quiet any doubters.
This could be the season. | |
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