Oct. 2, 2007

After enjoying a successful 2006-07 season in which they posted an overall record of 25-9 and a 10-6 mark in league play, the Maryland Terrapins are poised for another successful year under the direction of head coach Gary Williams. The Terps advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, stretching their steak of consecutive postseason appearances to 14. Williams, who guided the Terps to the fifth-highest win total in school history a season ago, believes they are primed for another tournament run this year despite the departure of six seniors from last season's team.

Gone are key contributors from the past few seasons, including Mike Jones, Ekene Ibekwe, and D.J. Strawberry, who has taken his game to the NBA. Still, there is a feeling of optimism in College Park, as the Terps return a strong core of dynamic performers who played well and contributed throughout last season.

That stability has been a hallmark of the Terrapins under Williams who enters his 19th season as head coach of his Alma matter. Maryland's all-time winningest coach knows he has veterans with experience who can fill the void left by last year's senior class.

"We have four guys that started at times last year which is a good nucleus nowadays in college basketball," said Williams. "Learning how to win is the biggest thing you worry about each year. You can have a really good team and play really well and then it comes down to the last two or three minutes. Some teams win those games, some teams don't win those games. It's a very subtle thing, but I think these guys learned how to do that last year."

Maryland returns seven lettermen who have combined for 263 career games and 90 starts. More importantly, they stepped up with huge contributions in Maryland's biggest games last season. Senior forward James Gist led the team in scoring during league play with 13.9 points per game. As a freshman, Greivis Vasquez silenced the raucous Cameron crowd at Duke, nearly collecting a triple-double with 13 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds, and transfer Bambale Osby was huge in Maryland's NCAA tournament win over Davidson, with 11 points and six rebounds. In addition to the experience they picked up on the court last season, it's also the way they blended into the program that excites Williams, as the Terps will again welcome a large freshman class of six student-athletes.

"Our returning players are confident and mature enough to understand that we have to get some of our new players playing time," noted Williams. "The new players need to feel they are a part of things from day one and feel they're respected by the older players and that they respect the veterans. We're going to put the best team on the floor, regardless of what year you are in school, but our veteran players understand that."

Just how quickly the six newcomers become comfortable will go a long way in determining how successful the Terps are this year. "With so many new players you have to depend on the early practices," said Williams. "The early games and practices will give us a clear indication of what we can do and where our depth will come from."

The departure of last year's senior class will force the Terps to fill the scoring void left by three starters who accounted for just under 40 points per game. To maintain the offensive proficiency from a year ago, Williams knows the team can ill afford to become one dimensional.

"We're going to have to find ways to put the ball in the basket, but it doesn't have to come from just having great outside shooting," said Williams. "Our defense can generate a lot of turnovers which we can convert in transition. In our halfcourt offense, our unselfishness will help us get easier shots."

The combination of an experienced group of returnees that demonstrated the ability to win tough games in difficult situations, along with an influx of talented freshmen should give Williams all the tools to build another successful season of Maryland basketball.

BACKCOURT
Vasquez and fellow sophomore Eric Hayes will anchor the Terrapins backcourt after both enjoyed stellar freshman seasons a year ago. Both players are versatile and can either run the offense from the point guard position or play equally as well off the ball.

"It's nice to have both Eric and Greivis back for us at guard. They certainly have experience now and worked hard in the offseason to come back even better as sophomores," said Williams.

Vasquez started in 22 of 34 games last season and was named ACC All-Freshman honorable mention. He scored 9.8 points per game as a freshman and recorded 157 assists, the third-highest single-season total among rookies at Maryland, and the most of any player on last year's squad. Vasquez played with the Venezuelan national team this summer at the FIBA Americas Championships and went up against some of the top competition in the world, including Team USA. Matched up against Kobe Bryant for much of the night Vasquez still managed a team-high 12 points against the Americans.

Hayes proved to be a steady influence in the backcourt as a freshman, starting 11 games and playing in all 34. He averaged 4.8 points and dished out 132 assists. He displayed a consistent shooting touch as he connected on 39 percent of his three-point shots and led the team from the foul line, making 91 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Freshman Adrian Bowie should factor into the rotation at guard. Bowie, who grew up a few miles off campus in Greenbelt, Md., enjoyed a decorated prep career at nearby Montrose Christian. He is a guard with a quick first step who should be able to get to the rim and break down the defense. Bowie teamed with Vasquez at Montrose Christian for two seasons.

Williams will have plenty of options to chose from on the wing. Sophomore Landon Milboure should see an increase in playing time for the Terps. He appeared in 16 games as a freshman, but spent the summer in College Park and the results seem to have paid off. Milbourne also joined the East Coast All-Stars, a collection of collegiate players, for an eight-day tour through Belgium and Holland this summer where he gained valuable experience against international competition.

Cliff Tucker should also compete for minutes on the wing this season. A versatile athlete who can play a number of positions, Tucker comes to College Park after enjoying a standout two-sport career as a football and basketball star at Chapin High School in El Paso, Texas. Senior Jason McAlpin and freshman David Pearman will also provide depth on the wing for the Terps.

FRONTCOURT
Maryland's frontcourt is loaded with talented players who each possess a different skill set, giving Williams plenty of viable options. The group is led by Gist, who was named All-ACC honorable mention last year. Gist was Maryland's third-leading scorer last year with 12.8 points per game, but the Silver Spring, Md., native led the team in scoring during league play with 13.9 points per contest. His 72 blocks and 7.2 rebounds per game were both second on the team a year ago. Always an athletic high-flying player, Gist improved his shooting touch and added a reliable outside jumper to his repertoire last season. He has improved his scoring dramatically in each of his three seasons, and the Terps will look for him to do it again as a senior.

Gist gained valuable experience this summer participating with USA Basketball's Pan Am Games squad which earned fifth place in Rio De Janeiro.

"It was a great experience for James to play with Team USA this summer," noted Williams. "You get a chance to compete against players that have different styles than maybe what you play against during the season. You learn things about the game of basketball that are really valuable."

Gist enters his senior season eighth on Maryland's all-time blocked shots list (154). He needs just 111 points to become the 46th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and would become just the 22nd player at Maryland to join the 1,000 points - 500 rebounds club.

Senior Bambale Osby gave the Terps an immediate boost in his first season with the team last year. Osby played in all 34 games and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. He led the team in field goal percentage (.563) and gave the Terps a spark off the bench throughout the season.

Dave Neal has seen his role expand in each of the past two seasons and the trend should continue through his junior year. He has played in 40 games as a Terp and gives Williams an experienced performer who has played valuable minutes in key spots.

After redshirting last season, Jerome Burney should provide the Terps with another solid option up front. Burney spent last season practicing against Gist and Osby after recovering from a preseason injury and is ready to make an impact of his own.

Three newcomers will also contend for playing time as freshmen. Braxton Dupree, Dino Gregory, and Shane Walker are athletic big men who fit perfectly into Williams' fast-paced style. Dupree prepped at Calvert Hall in Baltimore which produced former Terrapin great Juan Dixon. Gregory was named the 2007 All-Baltimore City Player of the Year and finished his prep career with a record of 123-19 at Mount St. Joseph. Walker played his final season at Montrose Christian with teammate Adrian Bowie and helped the Mustangs post a record of 21-3. Each of them will have the chance to contribute to the Terps' success in 2007-08.

COACHING STAFF
In the same way that experienced players can pay off on the court, experience on the bench should also pay dividends for the Terps this season. For the first time in four seasons, the Terrapins coaching staff remained intact from the previous season, a fact that Williams knows can greatly benefit the team.

"We're not about ego in terms of who gets a specific recruit or who is responsible for what," said Williams. "We just try to win as many games as we can as a team. The coaches are a team just like the players are a team."

Michael Adams returns for this third year on staff, while former Terrapin standout Keith Booth is in his fourth year as an assistant coach. Chuck Driesell, who joined the staff prior to last season, has strong ties the program, stretching back to his father Lefty's days as the Maryland head coach.

The combination of experience and devotion to the program on the staff gives Williams a comfort level on the bench and removes any potential uncertainty that comes with making changes.

"Anytime you have a change on the staff, you don't know how it's going to work," noted Williams. "We've been solid with Michael Adams, Keith Booth and Chuck Driesell on staff. It's a pretty good combination of people and I have had the opportunity to watch them now for over a year and they work well together."

SCHEDULE
In addition to the challenging league schedule that comes with being a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Terrapins have assembled one of the most difficult schedules in the country, as the Terps will face at least 11 teams that participated in postseason play last year. The schedule also gives the Terrapins high visibility, as 15 games will be televised nationally.

"There are several teams in there that we're going to have to be ready for," noted Williams. "I've always felt that on any given night if you're not ready to play, it's going to be anybody's game, even though on paper one team may have an advantage. Nowadays there are so many great players and so many good teams out there."

The Terps open the season on November 11 against North Florida as part of the 2007 O'Reilly Auto Parts College Basketball Experience. Maryland hosts the College Park Regional, which also includes Hampton and Tulsa. The winner of the two-day regional will advance to the Sprint Center in Kansas City for the championship rounds on November 19 and 20. Michigan State, Missouri, and UCLA also host regionals in what should be a highly competitive tournament.

Maryland hosts Illinois on November 28 as part of the annual Big 10/ACC Challenge. Last season the Terps won a thrilling matchup in Champaign. After taking on the Illini, Maryland will face Virginia Commonwealth in the annual BB&T Classic at Verizon Center. The Rams upset Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament a year ago.

The Terrapins open ACC play against Boston College December 9 at Comcast Center. That game against the Eagles falls during a six-game homestand for the Terrapins which spans from December to early January. Other non-conference opponents who will visit Comcast Center include American, Delaware, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Morgan State, Northeastern, Ohio and Savannah State. The Terps will visit the Charlotte 49ers on January 5 in a game that will be played at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, the site of the 2008 ACC Tournament.

During the 16-game ACC schedule, the Terrapins will have home-and-home matchups with Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. In league action the Terps host Clemson, Florida State and NC State. Maryland will play its only regular-season meetings against Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina on the road.