Terps Open Basketball Season With Midnight Madness
10/18/2003 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct 18, 2003
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
Maryland Terrapin Midnight Madness Photo Gallery
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The five freshmen on Maryland's basketball team weren't the only novices on the court at the Terrapins' annual Midnight Madness celebration.
As the introduction of the 2003-04 squad drew to a close, the raucous crowd at the Comcast Center saved their loudest cheers for the entrance of Gary Williams.
To everyone's surprise, the coach provided the night's most memorable highlight, cruising to midcourt on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
After removing his leather jacket, Williams told the crowd, "I always wanted to ride a Harley. That was it. The first and last time."
With that, the Terrapins began a brief scrimmage that ended around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Freshman Ekene Ibekwe set the tone with a dunk off the opening tap, and sophomore Travis Garrison followed with a jam of his own with 21 seconds elapsed.
"Great defense, huh?" Williams deadpanned after the players combined for 78 points in just 15 minutes.
The event enabled the fans to see the debut of the youngest Maryland team in years -- one senior, two juniors, four sophomores and a handful of freshmen.
The players put on quite a show, but they couldn't top the grand entrance of their spirited coach.
Long after most of the fans had filed out, Williams smiled and said, "I'm still alive. I'd never ridden a motorcycle until this morning."
 Maryland's D.J. Strawberry soars through the air to dunk during Midnight Madness, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003, in College Park.  |
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Having tackled that challenge, Williams on Saturday turned his attention toward molding his young team into a winner. The first official practice of the season was to take place around 10 hours after Midnight Madness.
"You can see there's talent there," Williams said. "Now, I've got to see if we can rebound and play defense."
The Terrapins will spend the next month working in a deserted gym, but they now know the kind of zaniness that will greet them when they open the season on Nov. 22 against American.
"To get a crowd like that on a Friday night, I'm really proud of our fans," Williams said. "I have trouble believing there's a better crowd in the country."
