Aug. 25, 2002

Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams has enjoyed the fruits of his, and Maryland's, first men's basketball national championship, won last April with a 62-54 win over Indiana at the Georgia Dome.

But now, Maryland prepares for the "year after" its national title.

The Terrapins lose four starters from their championship team, which ventured to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons and qualified Maryland as one of the country's most elite college basketball programs.

Do the Terps just re-load and automatically return to the pinnacle? Does Maryland need a season to recoup from its losses and take a year before making another run? Or were the champion Terrapins so deep that former reserves Drew Nicholas, Tahj Holden and Ryan Randle take Maryland right back to its 10th straight NCAA Tournament?

What are Williams' thoughts on the matter? And how have the Terps prepared for the upcoming season?

Click here to read this week's Weekly Word with ESPN's Andy Katz.