Nov. 13, 1997
Strong Cast of Four Returning Starters Leads No. 23 Maryland Into 1997-98 Season Opener Versus No. 8 South Carolina
All-Atlantic Coast Conference Selection Profit, Ekezie, Elliott, Jasikevicius and Stokes Headline Terps' Bid for School Record Fifth Consecutive NCAA Tournament Berth
No. 23 Maryland Terrapins (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
vs.
No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Friday November 14, 1997; 6:00 CST
Black Coaches Association Classic
Target Center/19,000
Minneapolis, Minnesota
ESPN National Broadcast
"The expectations on the Terps will be higher this year as the schedule gets tougher. The rest of the league awaits the challenge of beating the Terps and the young foundation of the team begins its junior season. The best thing to come out of last year is that the young players -- Profit, Stokes and Ekezie -- learned they could be successful against the best teams in college basketball. That will do them a world of good going into this season."
Tim Peeler
Blue Ribbon College
Basketball Yearbook 1997-98
TERPS OPEN SEASON AT BLACK COACHES ASSOCIATION CLASSIC
Maryland opens its 79th season of collegiate basketball as it travels to the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota to play South Carolina. Tonight's game marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Head Coach Gary Williams will take his team on the road for its season opener. The Terps are 2-1 in season openers away from Cole Field House under Williams.
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LaRon Profit looks to lead the Terps against South Carolina. (file photo)
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TERPS RANKED NO. 23 BY ESPN/USA TODAY POLL
Maryland enters tonight's season opener versus South Carolina ranked 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today poll. It marks the third time in the last four years that the Terps have been ranked in the pre-season coaches poll. Maryland was tabbed 14th to begin the 1994-95 season and 19th to begin the 1995-96 season.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Look for Maryland to win its season opener for the eighth time in nine seasons under Head Coach Gary Williams. Maryland's only loss in a season opener under Williams came against No. 1 Kentucky on November 24, 1996. In addition, look for the Terps to win its season opener against a ranked team for the second time in three tries under Williams. The Terps defeated No. 15 Georgetown, 84-83 (OT), to open the 1993-94 season, lost to No. 1 and eventual national champion Kentucky, 96-84, to open the 1995-96 season and begin the 1997-98 season with No. 8 South Carolina.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Laron Profit
Career Steals
97 (current)
+ 18 (needs)
115 (to move into 10th place all-time in school history)
Laron Profit
Career Points
544 (current)
+ 466 (needs)
1,000
(to become the 33rd player in school
history to score 1,000 career points)
Terrell Stokes
Career Assists
228 (current)
+ 119 (needs)
347
(to move past Ernie Graham into 10th
place all-time in school history)
Terrell Stokes
Career Steals
83 (current)
+32 (needs)
115
(to move into 10th place all-time in
school history)
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Career Three-Pt. Shots Made
76 (current)
+ 24 (needs)
100
(to become the sixth player to hit 100
or more career three-point shots).
ESPN/USA Today
Pre-Season Top-25
1) Arizona 727
2. North Carolina 672
2) Duke 672
4) Kansas 666
5) UCLA 563
6) Purdue 561
7) Clemson 554
8) South Carolina 512
9) Kentucky 505
10) New Mexico 432
11) Xavier 372
12) Stanford 362
13) Connecticut 322
14) Utah 273
15) Fresno State 244
16) Iowa 243
17) UNC Charlotte 216
18) Indiana 197
19) Louisville 180
20) Michigan 145
21) Oklahoma 142
22) Georgia 107
23) MARYLAND 104
24) Texas 97
25) Rhode Island 89
Dick Vitale's Pre-Season
Top-25
1) Duke
2) Arizona
3) North Carolina
4) Kansas
5) UCLA
6) Clemson
7) Kentucky
8) South Carolina
9) Purdue
10) Fresno State
11) New Mexico
12) Stanford
13) MARYLAND
14) Utah
15) Xavier
16) Indiana
17) Iowa
18) Connecticut
19) Michigan
20) Oklahoma
21) Texas
22) Rhodes Island
23) Georgia
24) Florida State
25) St. John's
PROBABLE STARTERS FOR MARYLAND....
F #25 Rodney Elliott (8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg; 72.8 % FT in 96-97)
C #54 Obinna Ekezie (10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg; team high 74.2 FT in 96-97)
G #3 Laron Profit (12.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg; career-high 57 steals in 96-97)
G #12 Terrell Stokes (8.2 ppg, 4.5 apg; school record 14 asts on 11/30/96)
G #13 Sarunas Jasikevicius (10.6 ppg, 3.2 apg; team high 42 3-pt shots in 96-97)
....AND TOP SUBS
F #44 Terence Morris (19.5 ppg, 12.9 rpg; high school All-American)
G #11 Matt Kovarik (2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg; ACC leading 97 career games played)
F #21 LaRon Cephas (23.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg; Redshirt member of 96-97 Terps)
F #33 Mike Mardesich (17.6 ppg, 13.4 rpg; Redshirt member of 96-97 Terps)
F #45 Brian Watkins (2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg; career high in all categories in 96-97)
MARYLAND VERSUS SOUTH CAROLINA - A SERIES HISTORY
The Series: Maryland leads, 31-25
Last Maryland Win: Dec. 29, 1990; 78-69
Last S. Carolina Win: Dec. 2, 1989; 52-51
Maryland vs. S. Carolina Current Streak: Maryland has won 1
Gary Williams vs. S. Carolina, Career: 2-2 (as a head coach)
Gary Williams vs. S. Carolina, Career: 4-3 (as a player)
TERPS VERSUS SOUTH CAROLINA - THE LAST FOUR GAMES
Dec. 29, 1990, Maryland 78 S. Carolina 69, at New York, N.Y.
Dec. 2, 1989, S. Carolina 52 Maryland 51, at Richmond, Va.
Dec. 5, 1988, S. Carolina 57 Maryland 51, at Columbia, S.C.
Dec. 28, 1987, Maryland 82 S. Carolina 77, at Col. Park, Md.
AMONG DICK'S DAZZLING DOZEN...RATING THE BEST BACKCOURTS
The four returning members of Maryland's backcourt were ranked as the 10th best unit in the nation by Dick Vitale in his College Basketball preview issue.
...#10 Maryland (Laron Profit, Terrell Stokes, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Matt Kovarik).
WINNING WAYS
Maryland enters the 1997-98 season looking for its fifth consecutive winning season and seventh during the Gary Williams era at the University of Maryland. Maryland has not enjoyed five consecutive winning seasons since the 1981-82 through the 1985-86 seasons.
TERPS ARE ONE OF ONLY THREE
Maryland is one of only three Atlantic Coast Conference teams which has played in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments and which has averaged at least 20 victories in each of the last four seasons. Maryland is joined by only Wake Forest and North Carolina in matching this double/double.
1996-97 IN REVIEW...
...The Terps posted a 21-11 overall record and a 9-7 mark in the ACC.
...The Terps were ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Poll for the week of Jan. 27 and were in the top 10 for four consecutive weeks, Jan. 20 - Feb. 10.
...The Terps were ranked for the final 12 weeks of the regular season in both the Associated Press and CNN/USA Today polls.
...The Terps played in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season - tying the school record for consecutive NCAA Tournament invitations. The senior class became only the second in school history to play in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
...Maryland won the championship of the Franklin National Bank/Children's Charities Classic.
...Gary Williams was named the Seaboard Conference Coach-of-the-Year by Basketball Times.
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
2 -Head Coach Gary Williams has been a finalist for National Coach of the Year twice in the last three seasons.
3 -Maryland is one of only three ACC teams to play in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
5 -Maryland is looking to play in its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament - which would be a school record.
9 -Laron Profit is one of nine sophomores in school history to earn All-ACC honors. All of the eight players before him went on to be NBA Draft Choices.
10 -Maryland's backcourt was rated as the tenth best in the nation by Dick Vitale's College Preview Magazine.
14 -Assists by Terrell Stokes against Towson University on November 30, 1997 - the all-time program record for assists in a single game.
21 -Senior Rodney Elliott shot a full 21 percentage points higher from the free throw line as a junior (72.9) than he did as a freshman (51.9).
90.0 -10 of Maryland's top 11 scorers return from last year's squad which finished 21-11.
97 -Redshirt senior Matt Kovarik has played in 97 career games - the most of any returning player in the ACC.
160 -Maryland's returning letterwinners have started 160 combined career games.
535 -Maryland's returning letterwinners have played in 535 combined career games.
TERPS SELECTED FOURTH BY ACC WRITERS
Maryland was selected to finish fourth in the pre-season poll by the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportswriters Association. The Terps were predicted to finish in the upper echelon of the ACC for the fifth consecutive season.
1997-98 ACSWA PRE-SEASON PREDICATIONS
1. Duke (45) 730
2. North Carolina (43) 727
3. Clemson (2) 628
4. MARYLAND 429
5. N.C. State 391
6. Wake Forest 335
7. Florida State 324
8. Virginia 177
9. Georgia Tech 174
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS IN 1996-97
Overall Record: 21-11 When Outrebound Opponent: 19-3
ACC Record: 9-7 When Outrebounded by Opp: 2-7
Home Record: 11-3 When Rebounds are Equal: 0-1
Road Record: 5-4 When Leading at Half-time: 17-3
Neutral Site Record: 4-5 When Trailing at Half-time: 4-7
Day Games: 9-6 When Tied at Half-time: 0-1
Night Games: 12-5 When Shoot Better from Field: 21-2
In Home ACC Games: 5-3 When Shoot Worse from Field: 0-10
In Road ACC Games: 4-4 Versus a Ranked Opponent: 5-6
When Score At Least 80 Points: 8-1 When Score 100+ Points: 2-0
When Score Under 80 Points: 13-11
TERPS VERSUS THE SEC
Maryland most recently played a team from the Southeastern Conference on December 30, 1996. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Terps in overtime, 73-65, in the championship final of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. Prior to that, Maryland opened the 1995-96 season against then No. 1 ranked Kentucky in the hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. Head Coach Gary Williams is 0-2 against teams from the SEC during his eight-year tenure at Maryland. In Maryland's last 10 meetings with teams from the SEC, the Terps are 3-7.
GARY WILLIAMS IN SEASON OPENERS
Gary Williams has a 7-1 record in season openers at Maryland and has won 14 of his last 16 season openers dating back to the 1981-82 season. Williams has won every season opener since the 1981-82 season except for the 1988-89 season opener (his final year at Ohio State) and the 1995-96 season opener (against then No. 1 and eventual national champion Kentucky).
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Matt Kavarik
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KOVARIK NAMED TO NABC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Senior Matt Kovark was recently named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches academic honor roll. The honor roll salutes players who are entering their junior or senior seasons and who hold a 3.2 or better grade point average. Kovarik is a business major.
TERPS IN THE LAST 100 GAMES
Maryland has won 66 of its last 100 games dating back to the tailend of the 1993-94 season for a 66.0 winning percentage. In the 100 games preceding, the Terps had won 51 of 100 games for a 51.1 winning percentage.
TERPS SIGN TWO PLAYERS ON FIRST DAY OF SIGNING PERIOD
Maryland signed a pair of Blue-Chip high school players, Danny Miller and Lonnie Baxter, on the first day of the current National Letter of Intent signing period. At 6-6, Miller (Mt. Holly, N.J./Roncocous Vallley H.S.) is rated as the 11th best high school prospect in the nation while the 6-8 Baxter (Rockville, Md./Hargrave Military Academy) is rated among the top 50.
QUOTING MARYLAND BASKETBALL
1) "There is no doubt that Profit established himself as a future star in the ACC with his performance last year. He was second on the team to (Keith) Booth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and second in steals. He hit game winning shots, like the one that toppled Wake Forest from the ranks of the unbeaten, and had some eye popping bursts, like the 11 points he scored in the final five minutes of the epic at North Carolina."
1997 Blue Ribbon
College Basketball Yearbook
2) "Obinna Ekezie blocked 33 shots and had 23 steals last season when he was still learning the game. Now he has grown an inch to 6-10, is still a massive 260 pounds and should be on the court a lot more with less foul trouble. That can only spell a lot more nightmares for opposing big men in the ACC. If Ekezie improved as much this off-season as he did last, there may be no stopping him."
ACC Basketball
Handbook 1997
3) "Redshirt freshmen LaRon Cephas and Mike Mardesich, plus mad bomber Sarunas Jasikevicius and Matt Kovarik, a fifth-year senior whose 97 games played make him the most experienced player in the league, give Maryland solid depth.
Street and Smith's
Basketball Handbook 1997
4) "Look out, ACC, (Terence) Morris is the leading candidate for the league's Rookie of the Year Award. He is the favorite because he fits so nicely into an experienced squad.
1997 Blue Ribbon
College Basketball Yearbook
TERPS' DEFEAT ATHLETES IN ACTION IN EXHIBITION
Junior All-America candidate Laron Profit scored a team-high 15 points, grabbed a game-high tying eight rebounds and dished out a game-high seven assists to lead Maryland to an 85-70 victory over Athletes in Action in an exhibition men's college basketball game at Cole Field House on November 5. Maryland scored the first two points of the contest on a lay-up by senior Sarunas Jasikevicius (five points, one assist) and never trailed. The Terps led by as many as 21 points in the first half and extended their lead to as many as 26 in the second half. Profit, a third team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection last season, shot five-of-12 from the field and four-of-four from the free throw line in 32 minutes. He led four Maryland players in double figures. He was followed by junior center Obinna Ekezie (14 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots), senior forward Rodney Elliott (11 points, four rebounds) and redshirt freshman center Mike Mardesich (11 points, four rebounds). Heralded freshman forward Terence Morris, an ACC Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, scored seven points, added three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 19 minutes of play.
MARYLAND FLIES HIGH OVER AUSTRALIA
With a strong showing from its frontcourt, Maryland overpowered the Australian National Team on its way to a 71-65 victory at Cole Field House November 10. Led by junior All-America candidate Laron Profit and senior Rodney Elliott, each with 18 points, the Terrapins held their poise tip-off to final buzzer. Although it was Profit's sixteen second-half points that sparked the offense down the stretch, the Maryland big men were the deciding factor. In addition to Elliott's efforts, red shirt freshman Mike Mardesich had 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench and ACC-Freshman of the Year candidate Terence Morris added eight and four respectively. Junior Obinna Ekezie also pulled down nine boards as the Terps out-rebounded their opponents by a count of 42-25.
KOVARIK LEADS THE ACC
Senior guard Matt Kovarik begins the 1997-98 season as the Atlantic Coast Conference leader in total career games played. Kovarik, who is entering his fifth season with the Terps, has played in 97 career games. He is one of three Terps to have played in 88 or more career games.
Rank Player, School Games Played
1. Matt Kovarik, Maryland 97
2. Shammond Williams, N. Carolina 96
3. Tony Rutland, Wake Forest 94
4. Michael Maddox, Georgia Tech 93
5. Steve Wojciechowski, Duke 92
Matt Harpring, Georgia Tech 92
Curtis Staples, Virginia 92
8. Rodney Elliott, Maryland 91
Norman Nolan, Virginia 91
Greg Buckner, Clemson 91
11. Sarunas Jasikevicius, Maryland 88
GARY WILLIAMS CAREER RECORD
Gary Williams Career Record 350-229 .604 19 years
Gary Williams at Maryland 143-101 .586 8 years
EXPERIMENTS AT THE BCA CLASSIC
Maryland and South Carolina will play under an experimental set of rules. The Terps played the Australian National Team under the following situations.
*The first experimental rule allows a maximum of five players to occupy the free-throw lane during an attempted free throw. According to the NCAA the purpose of the rule is to address what the rules committee believes is an increasing amount of rough play during free throw attempts as well as an increase in lane violations.
*The second rule will implement a change in the game format. Instead of two-20 minute halves - four-10 minutes quarters will be played with stoppages no later than the first dead-ball situation following the six and three-minute marks. Each team will be allotted four full time-outs and four 30-second timeouts - two in each half with one that could carry over to the second half.
