Catching Up With Former Terp Tony Massenburg
1/10/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2002
Jason Yellin of Maryland's Media Relations Department caught up with Tony Massenburg of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies to talk about his beloved Terps. The 12-year pro veteran keeps tabs on both the Terps' basketball and football teams regularly and was rooting hard for his alma mater in the Orange Bowl.
Question: How much do you follow the Terps now with your busy schedule of playing in the NBA?
Massenburg: Of course I am still loyal. I bleed red and white for the Terps. I have followed Maryland since I went to the pros. I have always followed them from before I signed to play basketball there (in the late 80s) as a player and I have followed them my entire NBA career as much as I can. I am always playing and been around the league (having played for 10 teams). I follow the basketball team of course and the football team. I am extremely proud of the football team this year!
Question: What about the current Maryland athletics department, are you impressed with the job they have done?
Massenburg: When you get good players, when you get good coaches and get people who are committed to winning and put it all together, that's the way to turn it around. I wasn't at the school at the best time but I am so glad to see that things were turned around.
When you look at the class with Joe Smith and what Gary Williams has done, those guys were able to bring good attention to Maryland. What Walt Williams did by staying at the school and being drafted high that was important. They way Gary created a fun style of basketball it made people want to go to Maryland. He did a good job of developing talent that they had, they weren't top 10 talent, but by the time they left some of them were. Joe Smith was that No. 1 overall draft pick, you know, as a sophomore.
A lot of credit has to go to the coaches and the University to get the program back to where it was in the glory days. Here we are in 2002 and the basketball team is ranked in the top five and the football finished in the top 10. What else could a major university ask for.
Question: Who do you still keep in touch with from Maryland?
Massenburg: Dave Dickerson is a close friend of mine. Of course, he's the men's basketball assistant coach as he has been for a while now. Most of the other guys have moved on and are doing their own things. Most of them are still living in the area and sometimes I catch up with them when I'm at Cole.
I talk to Dave Dickerson a lot. He's my link to Maryland. I also talk to Gary (Williams), the secretaries and other people in the office when I call. I still enjoy the nice family atmosphere they have at Maryland.
Question: What do you think of the job Gary Williams has done to resurrect the Maryland basketball program and how often do you get back to campus to see him?
Massenburg: I only played one year for Gary in 1989-90, but every summer I go back and talk to him about the team and kids he's recruiting.
With Gary there, I also always have a place to work out at. Maryland is a great place for me to work out at and I do every summer, except this past summer when I wasn't able to get back because of my schedule. But I had been back to Maryland every summer since I graduated. I like the weightroom and I like talking with the coaches. I always follow up with what is going on in the program and the team.
Question: How much pride did you feel for your school when the Terps went to the Final Four last spring?
Massenburg: I felt tremendous when they made the Final Four. For a guy like me, not being able to go to the Final Four as a player, it was just tremendous. To still have my ties to the university and see them make it that far after all this time it was a very proud time for me. They were able to learn what it takes to get there. I was just so happy and extremely proud of my team.
Question: How about the football team playing in the Orange Bowl, how did that make you feel?
Massenburg: That was a great also. We had a game that night, but I kept tabs on what was going on. I watched when I got back to the hotel and was proud to see they had gotten so far. I have watched about three Maryland football games this past year, which is a lot for me with my schedule and I'm glad to see (Ralph) Friedgen has them headed in the right direction.
