Feb. 1, 2012

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This story appeared in the January edition of Maryland basketball's gameday program.

By Sean Ellenby, Maryland Athletics Media Relations

Maryland guard Terrell Stoglin had seen enough. The Terrapins had come out flat in a critical early season matchup against Big East power Notre Dame on Dec. 4, managing only one point in the game's first three minutes.

The Tucson, Ariz., native elected to take matters into his own hands, rattling off 11 consecutive points en route to a game-high 31, as he led Maryland to a 78-71 victory.

Picking the team up in difficult situations has become something of a habit for Stoglin, who has quickly evolved into College Park's latest basketball superstar based on his supreme confidence and ability to score at will.

"I'm pretty used to scoring when the team needs me, it's just all about having a lot of confidence," Stoglin said. "I work hard for that."

After a breakout freshman year in which Stoglin averaged 16.8 points in the season's final 10 games, the speedy guard has carried that success into his sophomore campaign.

"I watched a lot of film from last year - things that I shouldn't have done and things I did well," said Stoglin. "I just worked out all the time and stayed in shape."

Stoglin's hard work in the offseason has resulted in major dividends for the inexperienced 2011-12 Terrapins, who lost four of their top five scorers from last season. Through 13 games, the sophomore led the ACC and ranked sixth in the nation with 21.2 points per game.

His early success is likely the result of a relentless work ethic instilled by his father at a young age. Listed at a generous 6-foot-1, Stoglin had to earn everything he has achieved throughout his illustrious career on the hardwood.

"I never had the size so [my father] always told me to play with a chip on my shoulder," Stoglin said. "I always played hard and had fun."

Stoglin's tenure at Santa Rita High School was nothing short of exceptional. In four seasons on the varsity, he helped his team to four state championship games - winning his senior year - while posting the second-most career points in Arizona state history, behind only NBA star Mike Bibby.

"I just feel like I have a natural ability to score," said Stoglin, who averaged 29.4 points and 6.4 assists as a senior. "I could always go to the basket, so everything else just opened up once I got my shot right."

Despite his remarkable prep career, Stoglin was only rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. Former Terrapin assistant coach Rob Ehsan had a strong eye on the Tucson star, however, and convinced Stoglin to commit to Maryland.

"I was real close with Coach Ehsan and I like the tradition and family atmosphere," Stoglin said. "I came here and met [Sean] Mosley and Landon [Milbourne] and had a good visit with them, so I wanted to come here."

The guard was inconsistent at times during his freshman campaign, but showed his prolific scoring ability during the latter part of the season after earning a permanent spot in the starting lineup.

"I changed my mentality," Stoglin said. "I told myself I was being too passive and I wanted to get more aggressive. Everybody back home was telling me just to play my game."

After former coach Gary Williams retired in the offseason, Stoglin decided to continue his career at Maryland and is very complimentary about the transition to coach Mark Turgeon.

"Coach Turgeon is a great coach and I'm learning from him," Stoglin said. "The main thing that everybody has been saying is to just stay positive and try to get better."

Stoglin is also quick to commend Turgeon on his outright honesty both on and off the court. Turgeon has not been shy to tell Stoglin what he expects of him, specifically on the defensive end.

"I'm a straightforward guy and I like when people are honest with me, and Coach Turgeon is one of the most honest coaches I've ever had," Stoglin said. "There's no hiding with him."

In the first third of the season, the sophomore found himself undertaking an even greater burden than expected as the team was without starters Pe'Shon Howard and Alex Len. Although the situation forced him to play point guard at times and make more plays, Stoglin relished the chance to lead the Terps.

"There was a lot of pressure, but it was fun," Stoglin said. "I don't like coming out of the game personally, so just staying in the game was a lot of fun."

The return of Howard from injury allowed Stoglin to return to his spot at shooting guard, a position that Turgeon believes will result in better looks for him.

"I was fortunate enough to watch Larry Brown coach Allen Iverson, and I'm not comparing Terrell to Iverson," said Turgeon at Media Day on October 12. "[Brown] took Allen off the ball to get pressure off of him, but Allen was still a part of every possession. Hopefully I can take some pressure off Terrell but still have him be a part of every possession."

Ironically enough, Stoglin idolized Iverson as he grew up in Tucson, having played a similar position.

"I just like his heart," Stoglin said. "He was small and getting buckets and getting points and I admire that."

Although this year's squad is made up largely of underclassmen, Stoglin is not reluctant to set high expectations for this season and is determined to restore Maryland basketball to its winning ways.

"We're going to have a deep run in the NCAA Tournament and that is how I honestly feel," Stoglin said. "We're clearly not where we could be or where we want to be, so we've just got to continue to get better and listen to Coach and we'll be alright."