THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 1997 TAG: 9701080524
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 68 lines
The last time the Maryland Terrapins got off to this strong a start, Gerald Ford was president and John Lucas was their point guard.
The year was 1976. Since then, Maryland has had more than its share of fine players - Albert King, Buck Williams, Len Bias and Joe Smith, to name a few. But none played for a team that stormed out of the gate as quickly as this year's relatively anonymous bunch.
Maryland is 12-1, 2-0 in the ACC heading into tonight's game at No. 13 North Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN). Still, with the exception of forward Keith Booth, casual fans would be hard-pressed to name a Terrapin starter.
Little wonder the Terrapins were picked to finish eighth in the ACC. Instead, they are 19th in the nation in this week's polls.
``To tell the truth, it doesn't surprise us,'' said guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, one of four new starters. ``We expected to be this good. If other people want to talk about it and make a big deal out of it, that's OK.''
While Jasikevicius may have expected this kind of success, coach Gary Williams was not as sure. Williams liked his team's quickness and defensive ability in pre-season, but wasn't sure how quickly the young team would meld.
``I'm somewhat surprised by how quickly the team has come together,'' Williams said.
For the Terps, ``together'' is a key word. Last Saturday against Virginia, Maryland put on a passing clinic, repeatedly swinging the ball to the open man. The unselfish play was typical of the way Maryland has played.
``They look for each other well, and if you can be a good passing team nowadays that's an advantage,'' Williams said. ``Our young guys are all very close off the court, and I think that's helped them.''
The same could not always be said of last year's seniors: Duane Simpkins, Exree Hipp and Johnny Rhodes. The trio helped Maryland to two Sweet 16 appearances in four years. Both came with Smith onboard, however.
Last year, with Smith gone to the NBA, the Terps had a roller-coaster year. Hipp began the season out-of-shape and was never able to regain his form. Simpkins missed three games after piling up hundreds of dollars in parking tickets. Only Rhodes seemed to hold it together.
Late in the year, Williams began turning more to his younger players - Jasikevicius, point guard Terrell Stokes, and forward LaRon Profit - with good results. All are starting this year, along with Booth and center Obinna Ekezie.
``They're not just a talented team, they have good chemistry,'' Virginia coach Jeff Jones said.
Booth, the lone holdover from the Rhodes-Hipp-Simpkins era, is the leader, an All-ACC forward who averages 20.5 points and seven rebounds despite frequent double-teams. When he's been bottled up, other plays have stepped forward. Against Virginia it was Jasikevicius, who scored 24 points. In a win over California, it was Profit, a slashing forward who had 24 points and five rebounds. In the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii it was Stokes, a point guard who's shaping up as a better penetrator and passer than Simpkins.
Maryland's lone loss is to Georgia, in the Rainbow championship. Still, Williams knows the meat of the schedule lies ahead. Tonight's game will be Maryland's first ACC road game, and first road game against a top 25 team.
``We really believe in each other,'' he said. ``We're a good team, but it's awfully early.
``We understand we have to go on the road now. There are peaks and valleys in the ACC. We have to see how we handle the valleys as well as the peaks.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Coach Gary Williams has Maryland pointed in the right direction, but
knows there are valleys ahead for the young Terps in ACC play.