THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 1, 1995 TAG: 9508010360
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Gary Williams was a man in a hurry Monday. There barely was enough time for the University of Maryland basketball coach to squeeze in a couple of quick handshakes following his talk to the Norfolk Sports Club before he made a fast-break exit through a side door, dress bag over his shoulder and a small, black leather suitcase in his hand.
Maybe somewhere out there another Joe Smith was waiting. If so, Williams was running out of time to find him.
Monday was the final day for college coaches to scout high school talent before the early-signing period in November. Williams was in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday to watch an AAU tournament and Monday night he would be in Baltimore to see a summer-league game.
``You can't talk to the kids, but you get a feel for who can play,'' Williams said. ``If you don't get the players, you are not going to win.''
But getting the players is only part of it these days. Keeping them is the other part.
Just ask Williams.
The only other time Williams had spoken to the Norfolk Sports Club was four years ago, when Joe Smith was getting ready to begin his junior year at Maury High School.
``Joe wasn't that good of a player at the time,'' Williams recalled. ``But we were interested because he was a good athlete. The guy we were really recruiting was Ed Geth. We put Joe's name in our files and sent him some mail.''
Geth, a year ahead of Smith, went to North Carolina and has played very little for the Tar Heels.
Maryland wound up with Smith and the rest, as they say, is history.
Smith was All-ACC his freshman year at Maryland. He was college basketball's player of the year this past season, and then the NBA's No. 1 draft choice.
He presently is negotiating a contract, which Williams said could be worth as much as $50 million, to play for the Golden State Warriors.
``Joe's time with us went so quick,'' Williams said softly.
``Those two years were fun. No one knew how good he was going to be. Then in the first game he had something like 27 points and 12 rebounds against Georgetown. After that game, I figured he was going to be pretty good.''
Williams believes if Smith had come back for his junior season the Terps would be playing for the national championship.
``He just turned 20 the other day,'' Williams said.
``It is a shame he is not coming back, because he would be about 15-20 pounds heavier. It would have helped Joe to play another year in college, and we'd have won a few more games, too.
``But he had a tremendous opportunity. He will have financial security and the chance to take care of his family. You can't blame him.''
So, Maryland will begin the season against Kentucky, UCLA, and Massachusetts without Smith.
Williams is hoping newcomer Obinna Ekezie, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound Nigerian, will surprise as quickly as Smith did two years ago.
And although Smith is gone, he has had a positive impact on the Maryland program.
Williams said several current prospects are considering Maryland because of what Smith was able to accomplish.
``They (prospects) all ask if they come to Maryland, what will be their chance of making it to the NBA,'' Williams said. ``They see what Joe did. But, truthfully, only 1 percent of college players get a chance to play in the NBA.''
On other subjects, Williams said:
He is surprised Smith participated in summer-league basketball games because an injury would have cost him a lot of money.
He thinks North Carolina, which lost underclassmen Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse to the NBA, will be better than most people think.
Williams also revealed he called the NCAA and asked for a ruling when he learned that Michael Jordan had worked out with the Tar Heels in January.
Williams said the NCAA told him it was all right, as long as it was not done on a regular basis. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by Motoya Nakamura
Maryland coach Gary Williams, right, told the Norfolk Sports Club he
was sad to see Joe Smith leave. ``But he had a tremendous
opportunity. . . . You can't blame him,'' Williams said.
by CNB