Dec. 24, 1997

Without Booth, Elliott Takes His Best Shot

Terps' Senior Forward Is Providing Rebounds, Points and Leadership

The Maryland men's basketball team had just defeated Florida International University, 117-70, in its final game before Thanksgiving. A handful of players lingered on the court at Cole Field House, taking turns being interviewed for a radio show.

In the past, Rodney Elliott would have been in the locker room, changing into his street clothes. But this season, Elliott, a senior from Baltimore, is starting on a consistent basis for the first time in his collegiate career, and his performance is meeting or exceeding all expectations -- and earning Elliott plenty of recognition.

During his first three seasons, Elliott was a key reserve. The 6-foot-8 power forward backed up standout Keith Booth (a high school teammate of Elliott's), who graduated last spring and is now playing for the NBA's Chicago Bulls. Now Elliott has taken Booth's spot in the starting lineup and is among the team leaders in scoring (second at 15.2 per game), rebounding (second, 6.6) and three-point shooting (first, 50 percent).

"I've also been working on my ability to check smaller guys on the wing," said Elliott, who occasionally plays small forward when the Terrapins go with a bigger lineup. "My primary goal is to make Maryland a better team. We've got a lot of talent and we can be a great team."

He also is receiving more responsibility this season, something that Coach Gary Williams is placing on the shoulders of the team's three seniors -- Elliott and guards Sarunas Jasikevicius and Matt Kovarik.

Said Elliott: "Keith was definitely our inspirational leader on the floor. I'll probably have to pick up some of that slack."

"We need Rodney to be a leader," said Williams, whose team (6-3) will host North Carolina Wilmington on Saturday. "The players know they can count on Rodney if it gets tough. . . .There are going to be times when he needs to take control and settle things down."

That's pretty high praise for a first-year starter. Through the first five weeks of the season, Elliott has responded well to his new role, developing into an offensive threat. His scoring average is higher than his point total from all but one of the 91 games he played in the past three seasons.

Elliott has developed an ability to score in the post consistently while continuing to work on his jump shot. He has increased his range and has become comfortable shooting three-pointers -- he leads the team in three-point shooting percentage, having made 10 of 20 attempts. By contrast, he took just 25 three-point attempts all of last season. Elliott also leads the Terrapins in free throws made (37) and attempted (53).

"That's what our system is based on -- the big guys getting the ball inside," junior forward Laron Profit said. "Then it's just a matter of can you make the shots. He's just taking advantage of his opportunities."

Elliott also played his best game of the season against Maryland's toughest opponent to date. In an 86-83 victory over then-No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 7, Elliott had season-highs of 21 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

"For the past two years, Rodney has been our best medium-range shooter," Williams said after the victory over Kansas. "I think he's done a great job not being afraid to shoot the ball."

No longer is he just an afterthought for opponents' scouting reports. In fact, some teams have made it a priority to attack Elliott's one weakness -- his penchant for fouling -- to get him out of the game. Elliott has fouled out five times this season, including in each of Maryland's three losses.

"I've often thought Rodney Elliott is one of the most underrated players in our league," Clemson Coach Rick Barnes said. "He's a very good offensive player."