Maryland Athletics - University of Maryland Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball
3/5/1998 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Men's Basketball Prepares for Georgia Tech
First round game of ACC Tournament set for Friday.
March 4, 1998
No. 21 Maryland Terrapins (18-9, 10-6 ACC)
vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-12, 6-10 ACC)
Date: Friday March 6, 1998; Noon
Arena: Greensboro Coliseum
Site: Greensboro, N.C.
Radio: Learfield/Maryland Radio Network
(WBAL - 1090 AM/WMAL - 980 AM/WINX - 1300 AM)
Play by Play: Johnny Holliday; Analyst: Greg Manning
Pre-Game show begins 30 minutes prior to each game.
TV: Jefferson-Pilot/ESPN
(JP) Bob Rathbun, Play-by-Play; Billy Packer, Analyst
(ESPN) Mike Patrick, Play-by-Play; Dan Bonner, Analyst
Series: Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Maryland by a 28-20 margin. The Terps defeated the Yellow Jackets twice this season, 70-67, on Jan. 21 and 81-69 on Feb. 21. Maryland is 2-3 vs. Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament. The Terps and the Yellow Jackets last met during the 1996 tournament with the Jackets winning, 84-79.
TERPS FACE GEORGIA TECH IN 45TH ANNUAL ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT;
ELLIOTT AND PROFIT EARN THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC HONORS,
MORRIS EARNS HONORABLE MENTION ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM HONORS
N14 South Carolina (OT) L, 72-76
N18 F. Dickinson W, 81-70
N22 Mt. St. Mary's W, 102-74
N25 Fla. International W, 117-70
D4 at Clemson (OT) L, 65-78
D7 Kansas W, 86-83
D8 G. Washington L, 66-70
D13 UMBC W, 104-66
D22 UNC-Asheville W, 110-52
D27 UNC-Wilmington W, 74-36
D30 at Missouri L, 79-83
J3 Duke L, 104-72
J7 Fla. State W, 81-74
J10 at N.C. State W, 68-65
J14 N. Carolina (OT) W, 89-83
J17 at Wake Forest L, 60-72
J21 at Georgia Tech W, 70-67
J24 Clemson W, 74-69
J29 at Duke L, 59-86
F1 Virginia W, 77-70
F7 at Fla. State W, 67-62
F11 N.C. State W, 78-63
F14 at N. Carolina L, 85-67
F19 Wake Forest L, 79-83
F21 Georgia Tech W, 81-69
F24 at Virginia W, 74-66
F28 Temple W, 83-66
M6-8 at ACC Tournament Noon
Georgia Tech (1st Round)
ACC Standings (as of March 1, 1998)
ACC Overall
Team W L W L
Duke 15 1 27 2
UNC 13 3 27 3
TERPS 10 6 18 9
Wake 7 9 15 12
Clem. 7 9 17 12
G. Tech 6 10 17 12
Fl. St. 6 10 17 12
N.C. St.5 11 15 13
UVa. 3 13 11 18
Gary Williams' Career Record
Career 368-238 .607
at Maryland 161-110 .594
'97-98 TERPS SCHEDULE
18-9, 10-6 ACC
March 5, 1998
...Maryland's strength of schedule is rated as No. 1 in the nation for the seventh consecutive week;
...Maryland is ranked 7th in the latest NCAA RPI Ratings Index for the third consecutive week.
MARYLAND IS......One of only 16 teams in the nation and one of only three teams in the ACC which has participated in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. The Terps are joined by only Arizona, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Purdue, Temple, Texas, Tulsa, UCLA and Wake Forest as teams in each of the last four NCAA men's basketball tournaments.
IN THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE......Maryland is joined by only North Carolina and Wake Forest as the three ACC teams which have finished in fourth place or higher in the conference standings in each of the last five seasons. Maryland has finished in first place (1995), third place (1998) and fourth place (1994, 1996 and 1997) in the league standings the last five seasons.
Associated Press Top 25
March 2, 1998
1. Duke 27-2 2. Arizona 26-3 3. Kansas 31-3 4. North Carolina 27-3 5. Utah 25-2 6. Connecticut 26-4 7. Kentucky 26-4 8. Princeton 25-1 9. Purdue 24-6 10. Mississippi 21-5 11. Stanford 24-4 12. Michigan State 20-6 13. Texas Christian 26-4 14. Cincinnati 23-5 15. South Carolina 21-6 16. Arkansas 22-7 17. Michigan 21-8 18. Illinois 21-8 19. UCLA 21-7 20. New Mexico 21-6 21. MARYLAND 18-9 22. Syracuse 22-7 23. West Virginia 22-7 24. Temple 22-7 25. Oklahoma State 21-5DOUBLE-DIGIT ACC VICTORIES IN PROGRAM HISTORYESPN/USA Today Top 25
1. Duke 746 2. Arizona 715 3. Kansas 683 4. North Carolina 669 5. Utah 625 6. Connecticut 602 7. Kentucky 562 8. Princeton 536 9. Purdue 475 10. Mississippi 437 11. Stanford 431 12. Michigan State 423 13. Cincinnati 373 14. Texas Christian 366 15. South Carolina 301 16. Arkansas 281 17. UCLA 246 18. Michigan 228 19. New Mexico 209 20. Illinois 152 21. Syracuse 138 22. West Virginia 106 23. Massachusetts 89 24. MARYLAND 76 25. Temple 63
March 2, 1998
Maryland finished its ACC season in third place with 10 victories. It marks the second time under Gary Williams and the sixth time in program history that the Terps have won 10 or more ACC games in a single season.
Season ACC Record ACC Finish 1997-98 10-6 3rd 1994-95 12-4 T1st 1979-80 11-3 1st 1974-75 10-2 1st 1964-65 10-4 T2nd 1954-55 10-4 2ndTERPS IN THE ACC IN THE LAST FIVE SEASONS
Maryland has a cumulative record of 47-33 in the ACC in the last five seasons. The Terps' 47 victories marks the most in a five-year period in their ACC history.
Season ACC Record 1998 10-6 1997 9-7 1996 8-8 1995 12-4 1994 8-8 Total 47-33KOVARIK PLAYS ON FIVE UPPER ECHELON ACC TEAMS
Redshirt senior Matt Kovarik has helped the Terps to a 98-53 overall record (65.0 winning percentage) and a 48-34 ACC record (58.5 winning percentage) in his five seasons in College Park. Kovarik is the first player in school history to play on five teams which finished in the upper half of the ACC standings. Kovarik has been a member of four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams and played on Maryland's regular season ACC championship team in 1995.
ELLIOTT AND JASIKEVICIUS HAVE SEEN MUCH SUCCESSSeniors Rodney Elliott and Sarunas Jasikevicius have played on four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams and have helped the Terps to four consecutive top drawer ACC finishes. With Elliott and Jasikevicius in the lineup, Maryland has won more than 62 percent of its ACC games (39 of 63) and finished first, third and fourth (twice) in the ACC standings.
MARYLAND'S FIVE CONSECUTIVE UPPER ECHELON ACC FINISHESMaryland's victory over Georgia Tech clinched third place in the ACC standings for the Terps. It marks the first time since the 1972-73 through 1976-77 seasons that the Terps have finished in the top half of the ACC standings in five consecutive seasons.
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MARYLAND'S SENIOR CLASS HAS......Played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (and is looking to play in a school record fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament);
...Finished in the top half of the ACC five times;
...Won 100 games;
...Lost only 11 times in Cole Field House;
...Played the nation's No. 1-ranked team six times;
...Defeated the nation's No. 1-ranked team twice;
...Played 51 games against teams ranked in the nation's top 25;
...Been ranked among the nation's top 25 for 51 weeks;
...Won one regular season ACC championship;
...Won four NCAA Tournament games;
...Played in the ACC Tournament semifinals three times.
UPCOMING MILESTONES Laron Profit Career Steals 178 (current) + 16 (needs) 194 (to move past Keith Booth and into 2nd place all-time in school history) Laron Profit Career Points 1,002 (current) + 6 (needs) 1,008 (to move past Lawrence Boston and into 32nd place all-time in school history) Terrell Stokes Career Assists 346 (current) + 1 (needs) 347 (to move past Ernie Graham and into 10th place all-time in school history) Terrell Stokes Career Steals 120 (current) +1 (needs) 121 (to move past Duane Simpkins and into 8th place all-time in school history) Sarunas Jasikevicius Career 3-Point Shots Made 122 (current) + 9 (needs) 131 (to move past Duane Simpkins and into 4th place all-time in school history) Obinna Ekezie Career Blocked Shots 88 (current) + 10 (needs) 98 (to move past Tony Massenburg and into 7th place all-time in school history)
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND... F #25 Rodney Elliott (14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) C #54 Obinna Ekezie (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) G #3 Laron Profit (16.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) G #12 Terrell Stokes (5.3 ppg, 4.4 apg) G #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (11.9 ppg, 3.2 apg) ....AND TOP SUBS F #44 Terence Morris (7.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) G #11 Matt Kovarik (2.5 ppg, 1.9 apg) C #33 Mike Mardesich (5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) F #21 LaRon Cephas (0.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg) MARYLAND VERSUS GEORGIA TECH - A SERIES HISTORY The Series: Ga. Tech leads, 28-20 Last Maryland Win: Feb. 21, 1998; 81-69 Last Georgia Tech Win: March 9, 1996; 84-79 Last Maryland Win at ACC Tourn: : Dec. 12, 1996; 77-63 Last Georgia Tech Win at ACC Tourn: Feb. 5, 1994; 83-71 Maryland vs. Ga. Tech Current Streak: Maryland has won 4 Maryland vs. Georgia Tech, Last 10: Maryland leads, 7-3 Gary Williams vs. Georgia Tech: 8-11 (All at Maryland)TERPS VS. GEORGIA TECH - THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Feb. 21, 1998 Jan. 21, 1998 Feb. 19, 1997 Dec. 12, 1996
at Maryland 81 Maryland 70 Maryland 76 at Maryland 77
Ga. Tech 69 at Ga. Tech 67 at Ga. Tech 68 Ga. Tech 63
March 9, 1996 March 11, 1988 March 8, 1986 March 11, 1983
Ga. Tech 84 Maryland 84 Ga. Tech 64 Ga. Tech 64
Maryland 79 Ga. Tech 67 Maryland 62 Maryland 58 (OT)
at Greensboro at Greensboro at Greensboro at Greensboro
Semifinals Quarterfinals Semifinals Quarterfinals
Sarunas Jasikevicius broke a tie with 1.1 seconds left, canning three consecutive free throws, and Maryland held off a late charge by Georgia Tech, 70-67. Tech had tied it with 5.4 seconds left on a layup by Matt Harpring tied at 67-67. The Yellow Jackets' leading scorer then fouled Jasikevicius, who was attempting a desperation 3-point shot as time was running out. Maryland built its lead to nine points several times in the second half, the last at 60-51 with 7:03 left on a basket by senior Rodney Elliott, who led the Terrapins with 16 points.
TERPS VS. GEORGIA TECH - THE SECOND TIME THIS SEASON
Feb. 21, 1998 at College Park, Md.
Laron Profit scored 19 points and No. 25 Maryland clinched a third-place finish in the ACC with an 81-69 victory over Georgia Tech. Obinna Ekezie added 17 points as Maryland assured itself a winning league record. Sarunas Jasikevicius had 15 points for the Terrapins, who have finished in the top three in the conference two of the last four years. Rodney Elliott, playing in his final game at Cole Field House, had his first career double-double against an ACC opponent, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds in Maryland's fourth straight victory over Georgia Tech.
Profit finished with five steals to move into third place on Maryland's single-season and career lists.
MARYLAND'S STARTERS......Have more assists, 386, than their opponents' team total of 361 entering the ACC Tournament.
TERPS HISTORY IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
Maryland vs. Georgia Tech
An ACC Tournament History
1980 Md. 51 GaT 49 QF OT
1983 GaT 64 Md. 58 QF
1986 GaT 64 Md. 62 SF OT
1988 Md. 84 GaT 67 QF
1996 GaT 84 Md. 79 SF
O - Opening Round
Q-Quarterfinals; S- Semifinals;
C- Championship Game
Maryland's ACC Tournament Championships
1958 Md. Def. UNC, 86-74
(at Raleigh, N.C.)
1984 Md. Def. Duke, 74-62
(at Greensboro, N.C.)
Maryland's ACC Tournament Championship Games
1958 Md. 86, North Carolina 74
1972 North Carolina 73, Md. 64
1973 N.C. State 76, Md. 74
1974 N.C. St. 103, Md 100 (OT)
1980 Duke 73, Maryland 72
1981 North Carolina 61, Md. 60
1984 Md. 74, Duke 62
Maryland's record in the ACC Tournament
First Round 2-0 1.00
Quarterfinals 20-21 .487
Semifinals 7-14 .333
Championship 2-5 .285
Totals 29-39 .426
Maryland by Site in the ACC Tournament
Raleigh 7-12 .368
Greensboro 18-16 .529
Charlotte 2-6 .250
Landover 3-3 .500
Atlanta 1-3 .250
ELLIOTT AND PROFIT EARN THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC HONORS
Senior Rodney Elliott and junior Laron Profit earned third team All-ACC honors as announced by the league office this week. It marked the first time that Elliott had earned the honor and the second consecutive season that Profit had earned third-team All-ACC honors.
PROFIT HITS 1,000 CAREER POINT MARKJunior Laron profit became the 33rd player in school history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau as he hit the mark with two free throws against Temple on Saturday. Profit, a junior, reached the mark in his 86th career game becoming the 13th junior to reach the mark and is tied with former All-American Keith Booth for 21st fastest player in school history to reach the mark.
Rank Points Player, Years Profit Needs to Pass 28. 1,087 by Keith Gatlin (1984-88) +86 29. 1,064 by Kevin McLinton (1989-93) +63 30. 1,026 by Brad Davis (1974-76) +25 31. 1,017 by Len Elmore (1971-74) +16 32. 1,007 by Lawrence Boston (1975-78) +6 33. 1,002 by Laron Profit (1996-Present)PROFIT MOVES INTO THIRD ALL-TIME ON CAREER STEALS LIST
Junior Laron Profit has been credited with seven steals during the Terps current three-game winning streak, giving him 178 steals for his career. He moved past former Terp All-American Walt Williams and into third place all-time on the Maryland career list with a five-steal performance against Georgia Tech on Feb. 21. Profit needs only 16 steals to move into second place all-time.
Rank No. Player, SPG, Years Profit/to Pass 1. 344 by Johnny Rhodes (2.8 spg; 1993-1996) +171 2. 193 by Keith Booth (1.53 spg; 1994-97) +16 3. 178 by Laron Profit (2.08 spg; 1995-96 - Present)PROFIT'S SINGLE SEASON TOTAL IS THIRD BEST AT MARYLAND
Junior Laron Profit enters the ACC Tournament with a career-high 81 steals this season. His total ranks as the third best single-season effort in school history.
Rank No. Player, SPG, Year Profit/to Pass
1 110 by Johnny Rhodes (3.7, 1995-96) +30
2. 85 by Johnny Rhodes (2.5, 1994-95) +5
3. 81 by Laron Profit (3.0, 1997-98)
ELLIOTT ENJOYING HIS BEST SEASON
Senior Rodney Elliott is enjoying his best season and is exceeding his career numbers in just about every category.
Season PPG RPG FG% BPG SPG MPG 1997-98 14.8 7.1 48.8 0.5 1.0 28.1 1996-97 8.6 6.2 48.3 0.4 0.5 23.3 1995-96 4.9 3.1 50.0 0.2 0.3 13.3 1994-95 1.4 1.5 50.0 0.4 0.2 5.5AGAINST TEMPLE IN THE FINAL GAME OF THE REGULAR SEASON...
...Rodney Elliott grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds;
...Rodney Elliott scored a near-career-high 20 points;
...Rodney Elliott made a career-high 11 free throws;
...Rodney Elliott attempted a career-high 16 free throws;
...Rodney Elliott tied his season-high with four assists;
...Tied his career-high with 12 defensive rebounds.
...Rodney Elliott averages 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in two games.
5 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius scored a career-high five 3-point shots against Temple on Feb. 28.
6 Maryland has recorded 248 steals as a team - the sixth highest total in school history.
10 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius has hit 10 consecutive free throws entering the 1998 ACC Tournament.
11.5 Senior Rodney Elliott is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game in the last four Terp games. He has grabbed double figures in rebounds twice (Temple, 17, and Georgia Tech, 11).
12 Maryland is looking to surpass the 500 assists marks as a team for the 12th time in school history entering the ACC Tournament.
18 Maryland is 18-0, undefeated, when it outscores its opponent.
23.7 Freshman Mike Mardesich is averaging 23.7 minutes played per game in the last three games as compared to his season long average of 19.2 minutes per game.
30 Junior Laron Profit, a third team all-ACC selection, has blocked a career-high 30 shots entering the 1998 ACC Tournament.
61.9 Freshman Terence Morris is shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field in the last four games.
57.1 Junior Terrell Stokes is shooting 57.1 percent from the field (four-of-seven) in the last two games.
97 Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius has dished out a single-season career-high 97 assists this season.
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
ALL-ACC SELECTION RODNEY ELLIOTT ENJOYING HIS FINEST SEASON
Senior Rodney Elliott, a third team All-ACC selection, has established single season career-highs in just about every statistical category this season. Elliott has exceeded his previous bests in....
...Field goals made (139) and field goals attempted (285);
...3-point field goals made (22) and 3-point field goals attempted (58);
...Free throws made (99) and free throws attempted (138);
...Total points scored (13.9) and average points per game (14.8);
...Defensive rebounds (137);
...Blocked shots (14);
...Steals (28);
...And he has tied his career-high in assists (42) entering the ACC Tournament.
...Third in steals with 178;
...Seventh in 3-point shots attempted, 230;
...Eighth in 3-point shots made, 75;
...Sixteenth in blocked shots, 53;
...Thirty-third in scoring, 1,002.
Junior Terrell Stokes enters the 1998 ACC Tournament with a 2.03:1 assist to turnover ratio for the season. In the last five games, he has 52 assists for an assist to turnover ratio of 2.17:1.
Season A TO A:TO 1995-96 85 40 2.1:1 1996-97 143 100 1.4:1 1997-98 118 58 2.03:1 Totals 346 198 1.74:1STOKES ENTERS TOP 10 IN ASSISTS AND STEALS
Junior Terrell Stokes enters the ACC tournament tied for eighth in school history with 120 steals and tied for tenth place in school history with 346 assists. He is just one of seven players in school history to be ranked in the top 10 in the school's steals and assists career leader lists.
Player Assists, Rank Steals, Rank Duane Simpkins 483, 3rd 120, 9th Kevin McLinton 469, 6th 136, 7th Dutch Morley 460, 5th 170, 5th Johnny Rhodes 437, 5th 344, 1st Walt Williams 410, 8th 175, 4th Ernest Graham 346, T10th 123, 7th Terrell Stokes 346, T10th 120, T8thTERPS BY THE NUMBERS
1 Senior Matt Kovarik has only one turnover committed in the last 47 minutes played.
3 Junior Terrell Stokes is ranked third in assist:turnover ratio in the ACC.
4 Junior Laron Profit is bidding to become the fourth Terp in the last five years to lead the ACC in steals per game.
4 Senior Rodney Elliott has scored 20 or more points in a career-high four games this season.
6 Junior Obinna Ekezie blocked a career-high six shots against Wake Forest on Feb. 19.
17 Senior Rodney Elliott grabbed an ACC high 17 rebounds against Temple on Feb. 28.
22 Freshman Terence Morris has 22 blocked shots this season - the sixth best ever single-season total by a Maryland freshman.
35 Junior Obinna Ekezie has 35 blocked shots this season - the fourth best ever total by a Maryland junior.
52 Senior Matt Kovarik has dished out a career-high 52 assists this season.
67 Senior Matt Kovarik has scored a career-high 67 points this season.
87 Junior Sarunas Jasikevicius has grabbed a career-high 87 total rebounds and a career-high 65 defensive rebounds this season.
87 Junior Laron Profit has dished out a career-high 87 assists this season.
STOKES RANKS 11TH ALL-TIME IN CAREER ASSISTS; 10TH IN STEALSJunior Terrell Stokes enters the ACC tournament ranked tied for 10th in career assists, 346, and tied for 8th in career steals, 120, at Maryland.
JASIKEVICIUS MOVING UP THE CAREER LISTSSenior Sarunas Jasikevicius ranks fifth in school history for 3-point field goals made and third for 3-point field goals attempted.
Rk Player, Years 3FGM Rk Player, Years 3FGA 1. Johnny Rhodes, 1993-96 186 1. Johnny Rhodes, 1993-96 557 2. Walt Williams, 1988-92 154 2. Walt Williams, 1988-92 429 3. Teyon McCoy, 1986-88, 90 132 3. Sarunas Jasikevicius, 1995-P 337 4. Duane Simpkins, 1993-96 130 5. Sarunas Jasikevicius, 1995-P 123JASIKEVICIUS ON THE SINGLE SEASON LISTS
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius has made 47 3-point shots in 125 attempts this season. Both his made and attempted 3-point shots rank 11th on the Terps' all-time single season lists. Jasikevicius' 47 3-point shots made this season are a career-high.
JASIKEVICIUS WITH QUICK HANDSJunior Sarunas Jasikevicius has 34 steals this season which gives him 91 total for his career. He has dramatically improved his steals per game average in the last two seasons when compared to his freshman and sophomore seasons.
JASIKEVICIUS FROM INSIDE OF THE ARCSenior Sarunas Jasikevicius enters the 1998 ACC Tournament as one of the Terps' top outside shooters. He is shooting a career-high 45.1 percent from the field.
Category Made Attempted Percentage Overall Field Goals 111 246 45.1 3-Point Field Goals 47 125 37.6 2-Point Field Goals 64 121 52.9JASIKEVICIUS IS ALSO HOT FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Senior Sarunas Jasikevicius enters the 1998 ACC Tournament as one of four Terp regulars shooting above 70 percent from the free throw line for the season. Jasikevicius is the team leader with a 75.0 percent accuracy rate from the line. He enters the ACC Tournament having hit 10 consecutive from the free throw line.
Game Span FT Made FT Attempted FT Percentage Last Game 2 2 1.00 Last 2 Games 9 9 1.00 Last 3 Games 13 15 86.7 Last 6 games 15 17 88.2FRESHMAN MIKE MARDESICH...
...Tied his career-high with 10 rebounds against Temple on Feb. 28;
...Averaged 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in Maryland's last three games;
...Made 83.3 percent (five-of-six) of his free throws in the last two games ;
...Averaged 10.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in two games against Ga. Tech this season.
1 Maryland's strength of schedule is rated No. 1 by the RPI and the Sagarin Ratings.
1 Maryland is the only team in the nation to have defeated two teams which were ranked in the top five at the time of the game.
7 Maryland is ranked seventh in the most recent RPI ratings index.
10 Maryland has been ranked in 10 of the 16 ESPN/USA Today polls this season.
10 Maryland has played an ACC-high 10 teams which were ranked in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Top 25 polls at the time of the game.
11 Maryland has been ranked in 11 of the 17 Associated Press polls this season.
15 Maryland has played a national-high 15 games against teams ranked in the top 50 of the computer generated RPI.
TERENCE AGAINST THE YELLOW JACKETSFreshman Terence Morris averages 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in two games against Georgia Tech this season.
KEEPING EKEZIE IN THE GAMEJunior Obinna Ekezie's importance to the Terps is easily exhibited by the Terps' record of success when the center keeps himself on the court for a majority of a game. When Ekezie is able to stay out of foul trouble, Maryland is successful as a team on the court.
# of Fouls Maryland's Record 3 or Less 11-5 4 or More 7-4 5 (foul out) 2-3EKEZIE KEEPING HIS FOULS DOWN
Junior Obinna Ekezie is keeping his fouls per game down as his minutes per game are increasing this season. He enters the 1998 ACC Tournament averaging a career-high 27.5 minutes, a career-high 13.1 points and a career-high 6.6 rebounds per game.
Season Fouls/Game Minutes/Game Points/Game 1997-98 3.1 27.5 13.1 1996-97 3.3 26.8 10.1 1995-96 2.6 15.4 4.5EKEZIE'S OWN PERSONAL BLOCK PARTY
Junior Obinna Ekezie enters the ACC Tournament with a single-season career-high 35 blocked shots. He blocked a career-high six shots against Wake Forest on Feb. 19 and is fifth in the ACC in blocked shots with a 1.3 per game average.
EKEZIE JOINS TOP 10 ON BLOCKED SHOTS LISTJunior Obinna Ekezie has 35 blocks this season which gives him 88 for his career and places him in seventh place all-time at Maryland. He is only the 10th player in school history to have more than 80 career blocked shots.
Career Blocked Shots Ekezie Needs/Pass 1. 339 by Derrick Lewis (1984-88) +254 6. 97 Tony Massenburg (1985-90) +10 7. 88 by Obinna Ekezie (1995-P)LEARFIELD/MARYLAND RADIO
All of Maryland's games this season - home and away - will be heard live on the Learfield/ Maryland Radio Network.
The Terps will be heard on the flagship stations, WBAL (1090-AM) and WMAL (630-AM), which combine to give Maryland one of the strongest combinations of broadcast signals of any collegiate basketball team in the nation. The Terps can now be heard from Maine to Florida.
Johnny Holliday, now in his 19th season, is once again serving as the voice of the Terps. He is joined once again by former Terps all-star Greg Manning, currently in his 12th season with the broadcast team.
Flagship Stations WBAL-AM Balt, Md. 1090 WMAL-AM Wash-D.C. 630 WAMD-AM Aberdeen 970 WI00-AM Carlisle, Pa. 1000 WTBO-AM Cumberland 1450 WSER-AM Elkton 1550 930 WFMD-AM Frederick 930 WARK-AM Hagerstown 1490 WMSG-AM Mtn Lake Pk 1050 1050 WKHW-FM Pocomoke Ct 106.5 WTGM-FM Salisbury 960 WTTR-AM Westminster 1470 Gary Williams/Radio Sportsline
John Wagner, University System Radio-TV Director, provides actualities and interviews for radio for Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams. Stations can access these sound bites by calling the Sportsline at (301) 779-6397. Features will be available at noon on gamedays during the week, and Friday evening for weekend games.
TERPS SIGN TWO PLAYERS ON FIRST DAY OF SIGNING PERIODMaryland signed a pair of blue-chip high school players, guard Danny Miller and forward Lonnie Baxter, on the first day of the early National Letter of Intent signing period in November. At 6-6, Miller (Mt. Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley H.S.) is rated as the 11th best high school prospect in the nation while the 6-8 Baxter (Rockville, Md./Hargrave Military Academy) is rated among the top 50.
MILLER NAMED AS MCDONALD'S ALL-AMERICANDanny Miller, who signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Terps next season, was recently named as a McDonald's All-American.
THE TOP 10 RECRUITING CLASSES IN THE EASTMaryland's current recruiting class of Danny Miller and Lonnie Baxter has been ranked as the fourth best recruiting class in the east by Eastern Basketball Magazine. Miller was called a "top guard who can offer instant help" while Baxter was characterized as "the kind of hard-nosed player all schools with ambitions of national prominence must possess."
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS IN 1997-98 Overall Record: 18-9 When Outrebound Opponent: 10-3 ACC Record: 10-6 When Outrebounded by Opp: 7-7 Home Record: 12-2 When Rebounds are Equal: 0-0 Road Record: 4-5 When Leading at Half-time: 14-1 Neutral Site Record:2-2 When Trailing at Half-time: 4-7 Day Games: 8-1 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1 Night Games: 10-8 When Shoot Better from Field: 14-4 In Home ACC Games: 6-2 When Shoot Worse from Field: 4-5 In Road ACC Games: 4-4 Versus a Ranked Opponent: 5-5 When Score At Least 80 Points: 10-0 When Score 100+ Points: 4-0 When Score Under 80 Points: 8-9GARY WILLIAMS ON TELEVISION
The Gary Williams television show can be seen locally on Home Team Sports at 5 p.m. on Fridays. Join host Johnny Holliday, Gary Williams and a special player guest each week to review the past games and look forward to upcoming games.
GARY WILLIAMS ON RADIOThe Gary Williams radio show can be heard on WTEM - Radio (570-AM) on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Gary Williams previews the upcoming week and looks back at the past week with Johnny Holliday as the host of the 30-minute show.
