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#31 Maryland Terrapins
Atlantic Coast
Conference
2004-05: 19-13, 7-9, 6th
2004-05 postseason:
NIT
By
Joel Welser
It was the lack of
cohesion and consistency last season that left
Maryland out of the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 1993. With four starters
returning Coach Gary Williams shouldn’t have to play 12
different lineups throughout the season to find that stability.
Who’s Out:
John Gilchrist left after his junior season in which he averaged
13.9 points and a team high 3.9 assists. The point guard leaves
a question mark as to who will run the show. Forwards Mike
Grinnon and Darien Henry didn’t see any significant action
during their senior campaigns.
Who’s In:
Parrish Brown isn’t the most
talented newcomer, but he could be the most important. Brown, a
transfer from Kennedy-King (IL) College, averaged 21.5 points,
5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds as a sophomore last year. Brown
will get an opportunity to run the point along with returnees
D.J. Strawberry and Sterling Ledbetter. Shane Clark is an
athletic 6-7 forward. He’ll hustle on the boards and can step
out and hit the mid-range jumper with consistency. David Neal is
an undersized power forward, but plays hard all the time. He
isn’t expected to see many minutes this year, but as his game
develops, Neal will see some action.
Who to Watch:
The key to the season is the point
guard, but the big time scorer is Nik Caner-Medley. The
Portland, Maine product averaged 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and
2.2 assists as a junior last season. For his senior campaign,
Caner-Medley won’t let his Terrapins miss the NCAA Tournament.
At the point, the battle is between D.J. Strawberry, Sterling
Ledbetter and newcomer Parrish Brown. Strawberry missed much of
last season with a knee injury. In the 14 games he played,
Strawberry started three and averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 assists
and 2.0 turnovers. While scoring won’t be an issue at all while
considering who is going to run the show, Strawberry has the
edge in that department. Ledbetter earned four starts and played
in 23 games, averaging 3.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9
turnovers. Ideally, by the time the season starts, Coach
Williams will have a point guard that stands out above the rest
and the Terps can head into the season with some consistency
already going.
Projected
Conference Rank:
There are enough decent options at
the point to not have to worry too much about it. Among the
three upperclassmen, somebody will step up and hold their own
distributing the ball and playing defense. The other four spots
are solid with Chris McCray, Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison
and Ekene Ibekwe all returning to their familiar starting roles.
Mike Jones, James Gist and Will Bowers are experienced options
off the bench. This team is talented and too experienced to once
again fall victim to a lack of cohesion. A 4th place
finish in the ACC will have the Terps dancing again.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
D.J. Strawberry,
Junior, Guard, 7.1 points per game
Chris McCray, Senior,
Guard, 14.1 points per game
Nik Caner-Medley,
Senior, Forward, 16.0 points per game
Travis Garrison,
Senior, Forward, 10.1 points per game
Ekene Ibekwe, Junior,
Forward, 8.4 points per game
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