Summer Men's Basketball Notes
8/21/1999 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 21, 1999
Morris Featured in Preseason Publications as All-America First-Team Selection
Junior Terence Morris, Maryland's All-America and ACC Player of the Year candidate, will be among the nation's featured players in the preseason publications when they are released during the months of September and October. Morris will be included on the All-America lists and lists of top forwards in the country.
Morris on Wooden Award All-American List
Terence Morris, an Associated Press honorable mention All-America selection last season, is on the John R. Wooden Award preseason All-America list of the top 25 players in the nation as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Morris averaged 15.3 points and a team-leading 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore last season. He was an All-ACC first-team selection and is the only All-ACC first team player returning for the 1999-2000 season.
Morris Featured on ESPN.com Worldwide Chat
All-American and ACC Player of the Year candidate Terence Morris was a featured guest on ESPN.com as he participated in an hour-long chat on July 27. The junior answered nearly 45 questions of the 650 plus questions posed to him during the session. Morris answered questions ranging from his All-America status to the makeup of the ACC for the coming year to the toughest players he has played against during his career. It marked the first time Morris had participated in a monitored chat. He will be a featured guest throughout the season along with head coach Gary Williams and other members of the men's basketball team.
Terps Release Schedule
Games against Kentucky in Cole Field House, Iowa in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge at the Baltimore Arena, Illinois in the BB&T Classic at MCI Center and a visit to Temple highlight the 1999-2000 University of Maryland men's basketball schedule as released by head coach Gary Williams. The Terps could play as many as 18 regular season games against teams that participated in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Kentucky, which advanced to the Elite Eight in the 1999 NCAA Tournament and won the 1998 NCAA championship, will make its first appearance in Cole Field House since losing the 1966 NCAA Championship game to then Texas Western, 85-65. The Terps and Wildcats last met in Cole Field House on Dec. 9, 1957 with Maryland taking a 71-62 win. The Terps' game against the Wildcats will mark one of nine potential games broadcast live on ESPN.
Francis Selected No. 2 Overall by Vancouver in NBA Draft
Steve Francis, who led the Terps in scoring (17.0 ppg) and steals (2.8 spg) during the 1998-99 season, was the second overall selection 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. It marked the second time in the last five years and the third time during Gary Williams' tenure that a Terp player had been selected during the lottery phase of the draft. Joe Smith (1994-95) was the No. 1 overall selection of the Golden State Warriors in 1995 and Walt Williams was the seventh selection in the first round by the Sacramento Kings in 1992.
Ekezie and Profit as Back-to-Back Selections in NBA Draft
Obinna Ekezie (1996-99) and Laron Profit (1996-99) were the 37th and 38th overall selections of the 1999 NBA Draft, held at MCI Center in Washington, D.C. The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Ekezie and the Orlando Magic took Profit. Ekezie finished his career ranked fifth on Maryland's all-time blocked shot list while Profit finished his career ranked 10th in scoring and second in steals.
Dixon and Miller Work as Counselors at Michael Jordan Camp
Sophomores Juan Dixon and Danny Miller worked as counselors at Michael Jordan's camp in Amherst College in Illinois. from July 17-20. According to Dixon: "Working at the camp was a really great experience. Michael Jordan is a great guy and both Danny and I were able to get to know him. Michael is just like one of my friends -- he is as down to earth as anybody I know." Both Dixon and Miller competed against Jordan with Dixon's team defeating Jordan's team three times. According to Dixon, Jordan spoke highly of Gary Williams and the Maryland program during one of his daily lectures.
Hahn Serves Internship at Local Television Station
Senior Matt Hahn is currently working as an intern in the sports department at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. The senior guard began working at the CBS affiliate in August and will work through the fall semester. Hahn will work to help put the Sports Blitz and Sunday night broadcasts together. The Sports Blitz is WUSA's weekly award-winning magazine show. Hahn will then serve as the sideline reporter for WMUC at Maryland football games this fall.
Former Terp Elliott a Standout for L.A. Clippers Summer League Team
Rodney Elliott (1995-98) played well for the Los Angeles Clippers in the FILA Summer Pro League. Elliott led the team in numerous categories during the eight-game schedule. Elliott averaged 26.6 minutes per game, 13.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. From the field, he shot 42 percent (28-for-66) which included 35 percent (six-for-17) from beyond the 3-point line. Elliott also shot a remarkable 88 percent (30-for-34) from the free-throw line. Elliott joined the Clippers summer team this year as a free agent. The FILA Summer Pro League is a very well known and well-respected league in which over 600 professional players have participated. A few stars who have played in the league are David Robinson, Dominique Wilkins, Tim Duncan, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson and Clyde Drexler. A teammate of Elliott on the Clippers was last year's number one draft pick, Michael Olowokandi.
Elliott Selected a First Ever Pick of Baltimore IBL Entry
Rodney Elliott (1995-98) was the first selection of the Baltimore BayRunners, who will begin play in the International Basketball League this fall. Elliott was announced as the first-ever territorial selection by the team at a ceremony in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Herb Brown, the brother of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown, coaches the team.
Booth Plays For Chicago Bulls Summer League Team
Keith Booth (1994-97) played as a member of the Chicago Bulls summer-league team in the Rocky Mountain Review league at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Booth averaged 13.6 minutes, 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds as the Bulls finished with a 3-2 record. Booth scored five points against Minnesota and Houston and he grabbed a personal-best six rebounds and had three assists against Milwaukee. He closed the competition by making his last three shots over a two game span.
Former Terp Burns a Pan American team Tryout Invitee
Evers Burns (1990-93) participated in training camp for the USA men's basketball Pan American Games Team. Burns played at Maryland from 1990-93 and ranks 17th all-time in scoring in school history with 1,315 points. Burns led Maryland in rebounding as both a junior and senior. His career total of 634 rebounds is the 17th-best career total in school history. Burns led the Terps in scoring as a senior and won the Alvin Aubinoe Award for greatest career contribution following his senior season. He was named as the team's most improved player his sophomore season. Burns was drafted by the Sacramento Kings as the 31st overall selection in the 1993 NBA draft.
Williams Enshrined in Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame
Head coach Gary Williams was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame on May 7, 1999, in a ceremony held on campus. The athletic Hall of Fame recognizes Terp athletes who, through the years, have contributed to the honor of the university in athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate, in their daily lives, the values learned through intercollegiate athletics. Williams earned three varsity letters as a guard under H.A. "Bud" Millikan from 1965-67. He earned his degree in business from the Maryland in 1968.
Williams Holds Successful Benefit for Cystic Fibrosis
Head coach Gary Williams hosted a star-studded charity basketball game to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on April 27 in Cole Field House. Former University of Maryland basketball stars Len Elmore, Tom McMillen, Duane Simpkins and Buck Williams, track All-American and university alumnus Renaldo Nehemiah, former Redskin greats Jeff Bostic and Charles Mann, former Washington Bullets Phil Chenier and Kevin Grevey, former Dallas Cowboy Calvin Hill and tennis star Pam Shriver all participated. Maryland legislators Thomas "Mike" Miller and Steny Hoyer, along with Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, also played in the benefit game. The second annual event is scheduled for May 4, 2000.
Mardesich Leads Team to Kenner League Championship
Junior center Mike Mardesich helped lead the Slam Magazine team to the championship of the 1999 Kenner League. Slam defeated Air Jordan on Aug. 15 to claim the league championship. Mardesich teamed with Nate Burton (Georgetown), Mike King (George Washington) and Roger Mason (Virginia) among others to finish the league and championship round play with a perfect 14-0 record.
Terps among National Attendance Leaders
Maryland ranked 15th nationally in home attendance average (14,474) during the 1998-99 season in statistics recently released by the NCAA. Maryland played in front 13 sellout crowds during the season in Cole Field House. The Terps played to 99.8 percent of the capacity of Cole during the season as 13 of the 14 regular season games were listed as sellouts. The Terps ranked second in the ACC in home attendance (behind only North Carolina). The Terps ranked 12th nationally in overall attendance with a total of 473,626 fans at their 34 games during the season. The Terps' 1998-99 attendance reflects a jump from 20th to 15th from the 1997-98 season. Maryland averaged 13,377 fans at 14 home games two years ago.
Behind Every Successful Head Coach Stands...
In the September issue of Eastern Basketball, columnist Dan Wetzel writes: "Billy Hahn and Dave Dickerson have helped rebuild the Terrapin program by stocking it with quality athletes. Hahn, a former Ohio University head coach, loves the long, lanky athletes such as Joe Smith, Laron Profit and Terence Morris. The recruiting pair is becoming an increasing factor in keeping Mid-Atlantic kids home."
Patsos Continues to Caravan State Basketball Camps
Assistant coach Jimmy Patsos was a featured speaker and clinician at numerous summer camps around the state of Maryland during the summer. Among those camps were the Charm City Basketball School at Milford Mill High School, the Archbishop Carroll High School camp in Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University camp in Washington, D.C. Patsos was the director of the Gary Williams basketball camp which attracted more than 1,100 participants in four weeks this summer. It was Williams' largest camp and the largest ever at Maryland.
Terps Hold Inaugural Camp In Montgomery County
The Gary Williams basketball camp held a one-week session at Northwest High School in Germantown, Md. The camp will return to the Montgomery County school next summer with dates and times to be announced soon.
Midnight Madness Scheduled for October 15
Maryland's annual Midnight Madness celebration, which marks the official opening of the basketball season, will be held in Cole Field House on Oct. 15. The official first day of practice is Oct. 16. Midnight Madness, which has traditionally become the first practice of the year, will be highlighted by the introduction of the men's and women's basketball teams near the midnight hour.
