Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

#20 Maryland Terrapins

ACC

2003-04: 20-12, 7-9, 6^th

2003-04 postseason: NCAA 2^nd Round

By Joel Welser

The Terps return the majority of a squad that got hot down the stretch last season.  If they can stay at that level, and not revert back to their mid season form which saw them lose four out five on multiple occasions, then Maryland can compete in the ACC. 

Who’s Out: Big man Jamar Smith is the only player not returning to College Park.  Smith averaged 13.1 points and 8.8 rebounds last year.  The frontcourt has enough firepower to replace Smith.  Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison and Ekene Ibekwe are expected to start and sophomore centers Will Bowers and Hassan Fofana could see increased roles.

Who’s In: Incoming freshman James Gist will be thrown into the frontcourt mix as well.  The 6-8 power forward is quick, athletic and a tremendous rebounder.  His rebounding skills alone should get him an opportunity to make an impact as a freshman.  Combo guard Sterling Ledbetter provides more depth and experience in an already crowded backcourt.  Ledbetter, who transferred from Allegany Community College in Maryland, averaged 13.9 points, 7.1 assists and 6.1 rebounds last year.  He is the likely candidate to spell John Gilchrist at the point.  Head coach Gary Williams may have some trouble getting the rest of his guards into the game.  Chris McCray should be the starting off guard.  Mike Jones is a great shooter and D.J. Strawberry plays great defense.  Don’t be surprised if the Terps play three guards most of the time.

Who to Watch: John Gilchrist is a star, but Maryland needs another star if they want to compete with the likes of Duke, UNC and Wake Forest.  Travis Garrison could be that player.  As a sophomore last year he averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.  Garrison should get the opportunity to see more minutes, but he’s going to have to continue to improve or he could lose some of his playing time.  Garrison is a big scoring threat who has a solid outside shot for a 6-8 power forward.  His intensity could be improved, which would help his rebounding numbers.  If Garrison can average over ten points and six rebounds, then his production could be enough to solidify the frontcourt.

Projected Conference Rank: Earning 5^th place in the ACC is plenty good enough to make another trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Terps are still a relatively young team that has no seniors expected to make a big impact.  But they are a year older now and need to become more consistent day in and day out in order to have a chance at winning the conference.       

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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