March 10, 2003
Three Terrapins were named to 2003 All-ACC Men's Basketball teams, as voted by the 92 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association and announced Monday afternoon. Senior Steve Blake earned his first-career first team nod, and fellow upperclassmen Drew Nicholas and Ryan Randle received their first-career all-conference honors with their second team and third team selections, respectively.
Blake, who adds the first team accolade to two honorable mention selections (as a freshman and sophomore) and one third team selection as a junior, became the first player in Terrapin history to be recognized by the conference in all four years of his career. Blake, the Terps' all-time leader in assists and games started, became one of only 15 players in history to have his jersey forever honored by the Maryland basketball program earlier this month.
"Steve's been a four year starter, he has won over 100 games in his career, and he's played in all of the big games in college basketball," said Maryland head coach Gary Williams. "As our only returning starter this year he's done a great job in making us a good basketball team and just being everything a good point guard should be."
Blake, who continued a five-year streak of first team All-ACC Terps, currently leads the league in assists and 3-point percentage. The Wooden Award finalist recently passed current Milwaukee Buck and former Oregon State standout Gary Payton on the all-time NCAA assists list and now totals 943 helpers for his career.
"I've thought all along that Steve has been as good a guard as has played here. Sometimes people put a too much emphasis on points, but it's consistency that you look for in your point guard, and he has been as consistent as anyone in the country. That helps you bring in new players, and has allowed us to be a good team."
Drew Nicholas, who has proven successful in his first season in a starting role, went from averaging 6.3 points per game as the Terps' sixth man for three seasons to becoming Maryland's leading scorer at 17.7 ppg. Nicholas' improvement of +10.6 ppg from his junior to senior seasons is tops in the league.
"Drew has had a great senior year," said Williams. "To step up and replace a player at Juan Dixon's level comes with a lot of pressure, and without his scoring we could not have finished second in the league this season."
Maryland's third honoree, third team selection Ryan Randle, also played a reserve role as a junior but has stepped up his game as a senior starter. Randle, whose points per game improvement of +9.4 from 2001-02 to 2002-03 ranks second in the ACC, is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and first on the squad in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and fifth in the conference.
"Ryan backed up a very good player in Lonny Baxter last year and this year he has come through for us as a starter, giving us a solid rebounding and scoring effort inside," said Williams.
The Terrapins lost four 2002 All-ACC selections to the professional ranks in Juan Dixon (1st Team, Washington Wizards), Lonny Baxter (2nd Team, Chicago Bulls), Chris Wilcox (3rd Team, L.A. Clippers) and Byron Mouton (HM, Idaho Stampede of the CBA) but have forged a 19-8 record and finished second in the ACC at 11-5.
Maryland takes on North Carolina in the 50th Annual ACC Tournament on Friday in the quarterfinal round. The Terps' 7 p.m. matchup will be televised nationwide on ESPN2.
