Oct. 13, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - More than 50 members of the national and local media came to Comcast Center on Thursday for Maryland Men's Basketball Media Day. Head coach Gary Williams addressed the media in Nextel Heritage Hall before moving to the court with his team to meet with the media.

The Terps and their coaches met with the media for newspaper, magazine, television and radio interviews.

Here's what Coach Williams had to say at his press conference:

On the coaching staff:
"I think we have a group of coaches who can help our players, on and off the court. Assistant coaches are the people who can really relate to the players and we have that here."

On the role of the upperclassmen this season:
"We have five juniors and four seniors, which is very unusual for college basketball nowadays. It's very different than the last few years. I'm looking forward to seeing if our seniors can provide the leadership this team needs. I think they can. They certainly have been through different types of seasons - from the ACC Championship in 2004 to playing in the NIT last year, which a lot of people considered a disappointment.

On the competitive schedule at the beginning of the season:
"We could play six teams which are ranked in the Top 25 before we get to January. It's going to be difficult, but at the same time, the experience will be great for our players. We need to be playing at that level and we're all looking forward to it."

On the Maui Invitational:
"There are five other teams besides us who have won national championships. We open with Gonzaga, which is ranked in the Top 10 in most polls. There is a possibility we could play three games in three days against Top 10 teams.

"The great thing about these types of tournaments is they give a true indication of how good you are and what you need to work on. Playing three games and winning by 30 points doesn't give you a real indication of where you are."

On what it takes to be successful:
"There has to be a certain level of dedication to the team. Basketball is a great sport because you can get better at it individually, but until you dedicate yourself to the team, then your individual ability doesn't really mean what it should. We've worked hard since the end of the last season - not only with strength and conditioning, but also talking about what it takes to be successful."

On improvements for this season:
"One thing we need to change is the consistency of our level of play. We proved we could beat the best teams in the country, but we couldn't do it every night. In a league like the ACC, you have to do it every night. The nights when you may not be shooting well, you still have to play well. Shooting does not determine if you're playing well. With our veteran team and our experience, I think we can do that."

On who will be starting for the team this season:
"If you look at our team, we've got eight or nine guys who have proven they can play. The coaches got together the past few days and went over potential starting line-ups and the pecking order of players rights now. We'll see how it goes when practice starts. What I'm looking for are a couple of people to really step up. Guys have had good games in the past, but we need people who are going to carry us for a whole year."

On the ACC expanding to 12 teams:
"This is the first time the ACC has had 12 teams for a season. Boston College is a great addition to the league after a very successful run in the Big East. It's hard to pick who's going to be 12th place in the ACC this year. Most people are picking Duke to be No. 1 in the country and the league. After that, you can say positive things about every team."

On playing in the NIT last season:
"I was proud of our guys and the way they approached the NIT last year. They did a good job of getting ready to compete after playing in the NCAA Tournament for 11 straight years. It was nice to be able to play those games, but at the same time, it wasn't a great feeling to be playing in the NIT [as opposed to the NCAA tournament].

"You never look down on anything in sports. No matter who you're playing, teams are always looking to beat you. So it was a good experience for our team. Sometimes you lose sight of the fact that nobody is going to give you anything. You have to earn it every year. Hopefully, it was a wake up call for our players."

On Maryland Madness:
"I think it's a great night and I have always enjoyed it in terms of the students and their interaction with our players, who are students just like everyone else. They just happen to be able to play basketball. It gives the student body a chance to interact with the team. I've always liked that part of Midnight (now Maryland) Madness."