#44 TERENCE MORRIS
Junior . Forward . 6-9 . 205 . Frederick, Md. . Thomas Johnson
On Morris: An All-America candidate as one of the most versatile players
in college basketball . an All-America honorable mention selection by
the Associated Press and All-ACC first-team selection by the Atlantic
Coast Sports Writers Association following his sensational sophomore
season in 1999 . only the fourth sophomore in school history to earn
All-ACC first-team honors . finished fifth in the voting for ACC Player
of the Year in 1999 . a two-time All-ACC honoree ... first team
all-league as a sophomore and honorable mention all-freshman during his
inaugural collegiate season . has 77 steals in his first 66 career games
for a 1.2 steals per game average . the only player in school history to
record back-to-back double/doubles in points and rebounds in the NCAA
Tournament . totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds against Valparaiso and
20 points and 12 rebounds against Creighton in the 1999 tournament .
among the most versatile players in the ACC, he was the only conference
player to finish among the league's top 10 in field goal percentage
(third), blocked shots (third), free throw percentage (fourth), rebounds
(eighth), scoring (10th) and steals (10th) during the 1998-99 season .
all-tournament team selection at the Puerto Rico Shootout as he averaged
14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and shot 70.8 percent from the field
(17-of-24) . the Terps defeated AU Puerto Rico, NCAA Tournament
participant UCLA and Pittsburgh to win the tournament championship .
enters his junior season with 106 career blocks to rank sixth all-time
at Maryland . ranks seventh all-time in school history with a .542 field
goal shooting percentage . needs only 243 points to become the 35th
player in school history to score 1,000 career points . only 14 players
in school history have reached the 1,000-point plateau during or before
their junior seasons . says head coach Gary Williams about Morris:
"Every once in a while you have a player where you don't see any ceiling
to his game. Terence has a chance to be great, and I don't say that
about a lot of players." . said Valparaiso head coach Homer Drew during
the 1999 NCAA Tournament: "We felt we really needed to control Morris.
And we could not. He can shoot the three. He puts the ball on the
floor. He gets to the rim. He is something special." . adds Wake
Forest's Dave Odom: "He'll be Scottie Pippen-like in the NBA, except
that he's taller." . presents matchup problems at the forward position
because of his speed and quick footwork . uses his quickness to take
players outside where he is comfortable on defense and uses his foot
speed to beat a post-up defender to his favorite spot on the floor .
played internationally for the first time in his career prior to his
sophomore season as a member of the Acropolis Cup team which represented
the United States in Greece as a preliminary event to the 1998 World
Championships . averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in three games as
the U.S. finished in second place in the tournament.
As a Sophomore: All-America honorable mention selection and All-ACC
first-team selection as he averaged a career-high 15.3 points and a
career-high and team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game . joined former Terp
All-Americans John Lucas, Tom McMillen and Joe Smith as the only
Maryland sophomores to earn All-ACC honors . earned career highs in
every statistical category as his total minutes nearly doubled . as a
freshman Morris played 511 minutes and averaged 16.0 minutes played per
game . as a sophomore Morris played 999 minutes and averaged 29.4
minutes played per game . led the Terps in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and
blocked shots (2.3 bpg) while finishing second in scoring (15.3 ppg),
field goal shooting (.551) and free throw shooting (.852) . among
all-time Maryland sophomores, his 521 points ranks sixth best, his 242
rebounds ranks tied for eighth, and his 15.3 points is 12th best .
blocked a single-season career-high 77 shots in 1999 which ranks as the
sixth best single-season effort in school history . his 77 blocked shots
is the second best single-season effort by a Maryland sophomore behind
only Joe Smith's 97 blocked shots during the 1994-95 season . finished
third in the ACC with a 2.3 blocked shots per game average . he blocked
more shots (77) than Wake Forest did as a team (64) during the 1998-99
season . a career-high six blocked shots came at Virginia on Jan. 7,
1999 . blocked five shots against then No. 12 North Carolina on Feb. 13
. had three or more blocks in 17 games and multiple blocks in 23 of
Maryland's 34 games (67.6 percent) . scored a single-season career-high
521 points and ranked 10th in the ACC with a career-high 15.3 points per
game average . his 521 points ranked as the 21st best single-season
scoring effort in school history . scored in double figures in 28 of
Maryland's 34 games (82.4 percent) and scored 20 or more points a
career-best eight times . led the Terps in scoring a team and
career-high 11 times . scored 20 or more points against three different
ranked teams . ranked second on the team and third in the ACC with a
career-high 55.1 field goal shooting percentage . shot 60 percent or
better from the field 14 times during the season and reached the 70
percent plateau six times . season-high 90.9 percent on 10-of-11
shooting from the field against DePaul on Dec. 7 . scored a career-high
10 field goals in back-to-back games against DePaul (22 points) and then
No. 5 Kentucky (26 points) . finished fourth in the ACC with 196 field
goals made . ranked second on the team and fourth in the ACC with a
career-high 82.5 free throw shooting percentage . hit a career-best 21
consecutive free throws in a seven-game stretch from Dec. 7 through Jan.
7 . also hit 20 straight from Jan. 10 through Feb. 6 and 15 consecutive
from Nov. 17 through Nov. 23 . credited with a career-high 50 steals
which tied for the 15th best single-season effort in school history and
ranked him 10th in the ACC . scored a career-high 104 free throws on a
career-high 126 free throw attempts . improved his free throw shooting
percentage by 13 percentage points from his freshman season (.825? .695)
. only the 12th sophomore in school history to lead the Terps in
rebounding with a career-high 7.1 rebounds per game average in 1999 .
ranked eighth in ACC rebounding average . more than doubled his per-game
rebounding average from his freshman season (7.1-3.5) . grabbed a
career-high 16 rebounds as Maryland won at NC State on Feb. 10 . his 16
rebounds ranked as the most by a Terp player during the 1998-99 season .
pulled down double figure rebounds a career-high and team-leading six
games . his 12 defensive rebounds against the Wolfpack were the most by
a Terp player during the season . ranked seventh in the ACC with a 2.6
offensive rebounds per-game average . more than doubled his assists
(56-25) and blocked shots (77-29) while nearly doubling his steals
totals (50-27) from his freshman season to his sophomore season .
improved on his statistical output and became more of a defensive
stopper in the final 10 games of the 1998-99 season following the
season-ending injury to starting center Obinna Ekezie on Feb. 9 .
averaged 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 1.7 steals per game with
Ekezie on the bench . prior to Ekezie's injury, he had averaged 6.7
rebounds 2.2 blocked shots and 1.4 steals per game in the first 24 games
of the season . was outstanding against North Carolina in the Dean Dome
on Jan. 13 . scored 20 points on eight-of-12 shooting from the field
with five rebounds and two blocks as the Terps won in Chapel Hill for
the third time in four tries . was seven-of-nine from the field with 16
total points in what head coach Gary Williams called "possibly the most
important half we had from a player all year." . scored his career high
of 26 points at Kentucky on Dec. 5 and at Clemson on Jan. 24 . his 26
points against Clemson included one of the most important baskets of the
entire 1998-99 season . in playing perhaps his best all-around game as a
collegian, Morris capped his performance as he swished an 18-foot jump
shot from the right baseline with 14 seconds remaining in overtime to
give the Terps an important 81-79 ACC road victory . Morris came off a
screen on Maryland's final possession of the game and hit the jumper on
a pass from guard Terrell Stokes . said Williams after the game:
"Terence was open, but the shot was still hard considering the
situation." . Morris scored 12 of Maryland's first 19 points and had 18
points in the first 21 minutes of the game.
As a Freshman: Honorable mention All-ACC freshman team selection ...
averaged 7.4 points (fifth on the team) and 3.5 rebounds (fifth on the
team) ... improved throughout the season as he adjusted from a "back to
the basket" offensive position to a "facing the basket" position upon
his arrival at Maryland ... he had been more of an inside player
throughout his high school career and adapted his game to the perimeter
as the Terps' 32-game season went on ... upped his averages in the
second half of the season significantly as compared to the first 16
games of the season ... averaged 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 16.9
minutes per game while shooting 56.4 percent from the field (53-94) and
40.7 percent from 3-point range (11-27) in the final 16 games of the
season as compared to 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 15.1 minutes per
game, 47.5 percent field goal shooting (38-80) and 20.0 percent 3-point
field goal shooting (2-10) in the first 16 games of the season ... an
important part of Maryland's defensive success during the season as he
spearheaded the Terps' 3-2 zone ... averaged 10.5 points and was one of
five Terps to average in double figure scoring in the ACC Tournament ...
on fire in the ACC Tournament with 21 total points when he shot 64.3
percent (nine-of-14) from the field ... shot a perfect five-of-five from
the field in his ACC Tournament coming- out-party against Georgia Tech
in the first round ... scored seven consecutive points late in the first
half as he helped ease Maryland into a 43-33 halftime lead ... scored on
a slam dunk, a free throw, a tip-in and a lay-up - all in the span of
1:26 ... also played well against North Carolina in the semifinals ...
scored six second-half points and three in overtime as the Terps took
the Tar Heels to the limit ... also played well in his first career NCAA
Tournament as he averaged 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds ... was perfect
from the field against Utah State in the first round, going
three-for-three and scoring seven points ... also played well against
Arizona, the No. 1 seed in the West region, with 11 points, two blocked
shots and two steals ... his 11 points came in only 15 minutes played
... hit a pair of 3-point shots in the closing minutes of the game as he
displayed his awesome potential to the nation during the nationally
televised game ... helped the Terps win at NC State for the fourth
consecutive time on Jan. 10 as he played well both offensively and
defensively ... tied the game with a three-point play with 14:10
remaining in the second half and was placed at the top of the Terps' 3-2
zone which neutralized the Wolfpack's 3-point shooting prowess ... head
coach Gary Williams went to the 3-2 zone with Morris at the point on the
play right before Morris' three-point play ... Maryland outscored NC
State, 15-1, over the next five minutes ... Morris was the key to the
zone with his 6-foot-8 wingspan designed to disrupt the Wolfpack's
outside shooters ... "In the zone, my job is to contest shots and defend
the passes out on top. It gave our opponent a different look," Morris
said after the win over NC State ... Williams used the zone with Morris
at the point throughout the remainder of the season and it achieved
great success ... was outstanding in his first career game against the
nation's No. 1 team, North Carolina ... scored 10 points, including
three in overtime, and blocked two shots to help lead the Terps to the
victory ... scored on a "raise the roof" alley-oop dunk off an assist
from Sarunas Jasikevicius which tied the game at 80 with 3:40 remaining
in the extra session ... added a free throw with 50.6 seconds remaining
in overtime to put Maryland up 85-82 ... played the final 4:01 of the
overtime in helping the Terps' smothering defense hold the Tar Heels to
seven total points and holding National Player-of-the-Year Antawn
Jamison to one point ... continued his torrid play with 13 points in 16
minutes as the Terps won in Atlanta on Jan. 21 ... scored six
second-half points which allowed Maryland to take as much as a
nine-point lead ... his 13 points against the Jackets came on a night
when several Terp starters struggled with foul trouble ... scored his
ACC season high of 16 points against North Carolina in Chapel Hill ...
he shot six-of-12 from the field and four-of-six from the 3-point line
to lead the Terps in scoring for the first time during his career ...
his four 3-point shots made against the Tar Heels ranks as his career
best ... helped spur Maryland's near miraculous comeback against Wake
Forest on Feb. 19 ... played 13 second-half minutes including the
majority of the final five minutes ... re-entered the game with the
Terps down by 15 with 4:57 remaining and helped put the Terps in
position to tie the contest ... hit a long jumper with 1:36 remaining to
pull Maryland within 10 at 73-63 ... forced a Wake Forest turnover which
led directly to a Laron Profit 3-point shot that brought the Terps
within 80-73 with 37.8 seconds remaining ... scored on a follow-up dunk
with 31.4 seconds remaining to pull the Terps within five ... stole the
ensuing inbounds pass and scored on a bank shot to bring the score to
80-77 with 26.1 seconds remaining ... the Demon Deacons won the game,
83-79 ... scored 11 points in only his fourth collegiate game against
Florida International and hit the 20-point plateau on Dec. 22 against
UNC-Asheville ... a career-high three steals came against Fairleigh
Dickinson and UNC-Asheville, while his career high of three blocked
shots came in the season opener against South Carolina ... blocked at
least one shot in the first 10 games of the season and had five blocked
shots in three games against North Carolina.
Overall Statistics
\-3-POINT-\ OFF DEF TOT
YEAR G-GS FG-FGA .PCT FG-FGA .PCT FT-FTA .PCT PTS-AVG REB REB REB-AVG PF-D AST TO BLK STL MIN
1998-99 34-34 195-354 .551 27-76 .355 104-126 .825 521-15.3 88 154 242-7.1 79-2 56 67 77 50 999
1997-98 32-0 91-174 .523 13-37 .351 41-59 .695 236-7.4 47 66 113-3.5 57-2 25 46 29 27 511
CAREER 66-34 286-528 .542 40-113 .354 145-185 .784 757-11.5 135 220 355-5.4 136-4 81 113 106 77 1,510
ACC Statistics
\-3-POINT-\ OFF DEF TOT
YEAR G-GS FG-FGA .PCT FG-FGA .PCT FT-FTA .PCT PTS-AVG REB REB REB-AVG PF-D AST TO BLK STL MIN
1998-99 16-16 93-173 .538 16-44 .364 48-58 .828 250-15.6 44 74 118-7.4 37-0 25 34 44 22 491
1997-98 16-0 48-92 .522 7-17 .412 17-24 .708 120-7.5 22 36 58-3.6 27-1 11 24 10 9 274
CAREER 32-16 141-265 .532 23-61 .377 65-82 .793 370-11.6 66 110 176-5.5 64-1 36 58 54 31 765
Listen To This...
"Terence Morris is one of the dominating players in college basketball.
He does everything well. He has amazing ability and a true finesse
about his game that you don't see from too many players in college
basketball. I love his game because he seems to do everything so
effortlessly. He is a true prime time player and will be an
All-American this season."
Dick Vitale
ESPN/ABC Sports
"He's the best forward at Maryland since Len Bias and one of the top
All-America candidates in college basketball this season. He could be
best front court player in America."
Dick Weiss
New York Daily News
"Every once in a while you have a player where you don't see any ceiling
to his game. Terence has a chance to be great, and I don't say that
about a lot of players."
Gary Williams
University of Maryland
"We felt we really needed to control Morris. And we could not. He can
shoot the three, he puts the ball on the floor, he gets to the rim. He
is something special."
Homer Drew
Valparaiso University
During the 1999 NCAA Tournament
"He'll be Scottie Pippen-like in the NBA, except that he's taller. If
he had Pippen's strength, which he'll have one day, the sky's the
limit."
Dave Odom
Wake Forest University
"There's not one thing lacking in his game. In terms of passing,
shooting, dribbling and running skills for a guy who is 6-foot-9, he's
got all of it."
Gary Williams
University of Maryland
"I did not see a smoother performer during the 1998-99 season than
Terence Morris. People can say that he is not as physical as many
players around the nation but he is as talented as any player I have
seen. He shoots the ball so well, can put it on the floor and finishes
with incredible ability. I think he is an absolute star."
Jay Bilas
ESPN
"Terence Morris has been one of the most consistent players in the ACC
throughout his career. He should be a dominant player in the league as
a junior. If I were starting a team of college players, he would
certainly be one of my first picks."
Tim Brant
ABC/Jefferson Pilot Sports
