All-America Candidate Morris Leads Terps into New Millenium
7/9/1999 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 9, 1999
Head coach Gary Williams looked into the future when the 1998-99 season came to an end. On the court, as the Terps were making their fourth NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" appearance in the last six years, was a significant part of his starting lineup for the 1999-2000 season.
When the final buzzer sounded last season Williams looked out and saw three of this season's starters battling to advance deeper into the tournament. Forward Terence Morris, guard Danny Miller and center Lonny Baxter didn't know it then, but they were preparing for the 1999-2000 season.
Two starters return from Maryland's squad which won a school-record 28 games and a school-record 13 Atlantic Coast Conference games last season - Morris, a junior All-America candidate, who will be a two-year starter, and Baxter, a sophomore All-ACC candidate, the Terps' starting center. Morris started every game last season and is one of the top forwards in all of college basketball. Baxter started 10 of the final 11 games of the 1998-99 season including two games in the ACC Tournament and three in the NCAA Tournament. Baxter became a starter when Obinna Ekezie ruptured his right Achilles' tendon in early February.
Maryland's strong nucleus of tested players includes seven letterwinners who have all played in at least one NCAA Tournament. Led by Morris, Baxter and rising sophomores Juan Dixon and Danny Miller, the Terps return a solid nucleus of battle-tested players. Reserve Mike Mardesich has played in every Terp game in the last two seasons while Matt Hahn, LaRon Cephas and Earl Badu will add valuable experience as backups.
In addition, Maryland's stellar recruiting class includes three top players: point guard Steve Blake, forward Tahj Holden and shooting guard Drew Nicholas.
Combine Maryland's returning players and its recruiting class with the losses of All-America second-team selection Steve Francis, two-time All-America honorable mention selection Laron Profit, All-ACC honorable mention picks Terrell Stokes and Ekezie, and you have the makings of one of head coach Gary Williams' youngest teams.
"Any time you lose that many starters from your team, a team that won 28 games, obviously you have lost four tremendous players," said Williams. "Our three seniors [Profit, Ekezie and Stokes] all played well and played a lot of minutes during their careers. Steve Francis is special type player who doesn't come around that often. It's a shame that he only stayed a year."
"We enter the 1999-2000 season in a situation where we are going to be very young," says Williams. "I do think we have an outstanding player in Terence Morris who should be a preseason All-American and candidate for ACC Player of the Year honors. He has a great touch and is continuously getting stronger and becoming much quicker on the floor. He can run extremely well and play several positions for us."
Morris, a 6-9 forward from Frederick, Md., is clearly the team leader and one of the top players in the nation. He was 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. He became only the fourth sophomore in school history to earn All-ACC first team honors and finished fifth in the voting for ACC Player of the Year in 1999. Morris is among the most versatile players in the ACC 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. He enters his junior season with 106 career blocks to rank sixth all-time at Maryland. He also ranks seventh all-time in school history with a 54.2 field goal shooting percentage.
Adds Williams: "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."
Baxter, a 6-8 center from Silver Spring, Md., was called upon after Ekezie's injury and responded like a veteran. Though only in his first collegiate season, Baxter was considered to be among the top post players in the ACC at the end of the season. Baxter averaged 8.9 points (2.1 points per game over his season average) and 4.6 rebounds (1.0 rebounds per game over his season average) after Ekezie was lost for the season. He led the Terps in field goal shooting percentage with a .599 mark.
Baxter, who earned All-ACC freshman team honors, established a school record by making a perfect 10-of-10 shots from the field against North Texas on Dec. 23. In scoring 28 points against the Mean Green, he became the first player in school history to make more than eight field goals without a miss in a single game. He made his first career start against Virginia on Feb. 6 and responded with 14 points, five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in a career-high 26 minutes. He had learned after pre-game warm-ups on game day that he would gain his first career start.
In Maryland's five postseason games, Baxter averaged 10.4 points (fourth on the team) and 4.8 rebounds while shooting an even 50 percent from the field. He was nearly perfect from the field (six-of-eight, .750 percent) and the free throw line (six-of-eight, .750 percent) in the ACC Tournament. In the NCAA tournament, he scored 16 points against Creighton as he shot six-of-nine (.667 percent) from the field in only 14 minutes of play.
"Lonny is a very tough, hard-working, 6-8 player who can play a couple of positions," said Williams. "He is very agile for his size and will probably play at 260 pounds as a sophomore. Lonny is also a very good passer, a good scorer and a very good defensive player. The experience he gained as a starter last season will be invaluable to him as the full-time starter this season."
Miller and Juan Dixon, a pair of sophomores, are two players who will join the starting lineup. Both need to make significant contributions if the Terps are to extend their school-record streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to seven. Maryland is one of only 10 teams in the nation, and one of only two teams in the ACC, that has participated in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments. Only Arizona, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Purdue, Temple and UCLA join the Terps.
Miller is a 6-8, 205-pound sophomore from Mt. Holly, N.J. He displayed his exceptional talents and potential as a member of the Terps' nine-man rotation during the 1998-99 and will become a starter this season. He was one of only two Maryland freshmen to play in all 34 games during the season and averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds. Miller was one of only five ACC freshmen to play in 34 or more games last year.
Miller may have been at his best in the Terps' five postseason games last season as he averaged 7.6 points and 2.6 rebounds while averaging 20.2 minutes played in helping Maryland advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. He ranked fifth among all Terps and first among bench players in scoring during the postseason. Miller burst onto the national scene with a six-point performance in No. 2 Maryland's victory over No. 5 Stanford in the first round of the BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C. He hit 3-pointers on two successive possessions to help the Terps recover from a 20-12 disadvantage to a slim, 20-18 disadvantage. He scored his career-high of 14 points in the Terps' victory over AU Puerto Rico in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Shootout.
"Danny Miller can play a couple of wing positions for us," Says Williams. "He has the ability to do many things on both ends of the court that will really help us this season. He's a good ball handler and can pass extremely well. At 6-8, he's also a pure scorer." Dixon is a 6-3 redshirt sophomore guard from Baltimore, Md., who was among the first guards off the bench in the Terps' rotation last season. He earned honorable mention ACC All-Freshman honors as he averaged 7.4 points and 2.6 rebounds during his inaugural collegiate season. His quick hands and exceptional anticipation allowed him to lead all ACC freshmen in steals (50) and steals per game (1.5). His 50 steals ranks as the second-best single-season effort by a Maryland freshman behind only Johnny Rhodes' 71 during the 1993 season.
In addition, Dixon became the first freshman in school history to lead the Terps in free throw percentage (.830). He was perfect from the free throw line eight times during his freshman season including four-of-four against AU Puerto Rico in the Puerto Rico Shootout and five-of-five against No. 5 Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Dixon's longest stretch without missing was 12 consecutive and he shot 80 percent (eight-of-10) from the line against the nine ranked teams on Maryland's schedule Dixon returns as Maryland's top three-point specialist. His 36 3-point shots made ranks tied for the second-best effort by a Maryland freshman in school history. He scored 14 points against Western Carolina in his first career game in an amazing 3-point shooting display. He made four-of-seven (.571) shots from behind the arc against the Catamounts. He hit three or more 3-point shots five times and Maryland was 4-1 in those games. Dixon scored his career-high of 18 points at Wake Forest on Jan. 31.
"Juan Dixon returns as our best perimeter shooter," says Williams. "He proved last season that he could shoot with most college players. He gained valuable experience playing as our third guard and gained quite a bit of playing time. Another thing that I like entering his second season is that Juan has worked very hard in the weight room to strengthen himself."
Mike Mardesich, a 7-0 center from Boston, Mass., may hold one of the keys to Maryland's success this season. Mardesich played in all 34 games last season but must increase both his scoring and rebounding output if the Terps hope to play deep into both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. As a redshirt junior he is entering his fourth season in the program.
Mardesich averaged 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds as Maryland advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament for the second time during his career last year. He tied his career-high with 12 points against both Western Carolina and North Texas in games played in Cole Field House. His 12 points against Western Carolina came in only 17 minutes played and he was five-of-eight (.625 percent) from the floor.
"Mike is looking forward to his junior year," says Williams. "He certainly has potential to really come in and be an outstanding player for us."
Mardesich must return to the form he displayed and the promise he exhibited during his redshirt freshman season when he averaged 2.0 points and nearly five minutes more as a redshirt freshman as compared to last season.
Senior Matt Hahn, redshirt junior LaRon Cephas and freshman Earl Badu represent a trio of players who need to contribute to the overall depth of the team.
Hahn, a 6-0 guard from Columbia, Md., enters his fourth year on the team and will lend depth at the point guard position as well as on and off court leadership. He has seen his playing time increase over the course of each of his three years in the program and is one of the team's hardest workers. Hahn played in a career-high 14 games and established career-highs in nearly every statistical category as a junior.
Cephas, a 6-8 forward from Wilmington, Del., looks to increase his overall productivity and is now completely recovered from knee surgery which took place prior to the start of the 1998-99 season. He enjoyed his top statistical season last year as he played in 15 games. He scored his career-high of seven points against NC State in Cole Field House.
"Laron Cephas is a third-year player who comes into a situation where he has to prove that he has fully recovered from knee surgery," says Williams. "He really did not get that opportunity to prove himself as his knee injury lingered throughout the season. He will be completely recovered by the time we start practice."
Badu was a member of the squad last season and will lend depth at the guard position.
Maryland's three-member freshman class of Blake, Holden and Nicholas has been judged by recruiting experts as one of the best, and most well rounded, groups in the nation. The trio is not headlined by a single individual, but stands out because of the sum of its parts. Blake, a 6-3 point guard from Miami Lakes, Fla., helped lead Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) to the high school national championship during the 1998-99 season. The Warriors finished the season with a perfect 31-0 record. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.3 assists and was named as the runner-up for the "Mr. Basketball" award in the state of Virginia. Blake was a USA Today All-American and named as the second-best point guard entering the collegiate ranks this season by recruiting expert Bob Gibbons.
"Steve Blake is going to get a very good look at the point guard position as a freshman," says Williams. "He has played an incredible amount of basketball and has earned several outstanding honors. His most recent honor was playing with the U.S. Junior World Championship team this past summer."
Holden, a 6-10 native of Red Bank, N.J., was an all-state selection as a senior at Red Bank High School. It is hoped that he quickly assimilates himself to the college game and becomes an inside force for the Terps. He played in the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association All-Star game following his senior season and is ranked as the 48th best prep player entering the collegiate ranks for the 1999-2000 season by the ACC Area Journal and Recruiter's Handbook. He averaged 14.6 points on 52 percent field goal shooting to go along with 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game
"Tahj Holden is 6-9 and a very skilled player," says Williams. "As most freshmen do, he will get stronger as his career goes on. I think he can contribute right away."
Nicholas is a 6-3 native of Hempstead, N.Y., who will help improve not only the team's ballhandling skills but also make the Terps a much better outside shooting team. He averaged 24.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game and shot a spectacular 57 percent from the floor as a senior. Nicholas hit 75 3-point shots and shot an outstanding 47 percent from the 3-point line.
"Drew Nicholas proved himself over his senior year in New York and became one of the better players in the state of New York," says Williams. "He is an outstanding 3-point shooter with pretty good ball handling skills and he is also an excellent defensive player." Williams says that the Terps will be young but that a great deal of experience accompanies that youth. Two members of Maryland's junior class (Morris and Mardesich) have played in 66 games each while three members of the sophomore class (Baxter, Dixon and Miller) played in at least 32 games as freshmen.
"Overall we are going to be young," he says. "The league is going to be a little better this year and probably a little more balanced. I don't think you will see three teams dominating like last season. It will be a more balanced league and hopefully we will be one of those teams contesting for the ACC championship."
In addition to the always-tough ACC schedule, Maryland will compete in the Preseason NIT, opening the event with a home game against San Francisco. The Terps will travel to Temple, play host to Kentucky, battle Illinois in the first round of the BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C., and meet Iowa in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The ACC Tournament is March 2-5 in Charlotte.
"We are going to play a tough schedule early with the Preseason NIT, the BB&T Classic, Temple, Iowa and Kentucky," Says Williams. "Hopefully those games will prepare us for the ACC season."
