Maryland Basketball Team

Don't feel bad if you're conflicted about the Maryland basketball team's graduation rate. Or lack thereof. It's perfectly reasonable to buy what Gary Williams is selling us about that stretch of time - 1997 to 2000, encompassing players from the 2002 national championship team - when players came, played, left and didn't get degrees within six years. It's just as reasonable to buy what the critics are saying about the unique place this program holds among every Division I program in the nation, the only school in the NCAA's compilation of graduation rates with a big, stinkin' zero attached to it. Both sides are right.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Maryland basketball team packed its bags and left Florida last night.The Terps want to come back next week.Maryland got out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament with little difficulty yesterday, as another stellar defensive effort produced a 75-63 defeat of 10th-seeded Creighton in the second round of the South Regional before 14,959 at the Orlando Arena.The Terps (28-5) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in six seasons and set a school record for wins, but they also got careless as a 21-point lead dwindled to 10 with five minutes to go. It was a surprisingly subdued locker room.

When the horn sounded Sunday afternoon at Cole Field House, public address announcer Nick Kovalikedes declared "deja vu all over again," as for the second time in a week, a Maryland basketball team had conquered a North Carolina team xTC ranked in the Top 10, thrashing the Tar Heels, 84-62.But unlike their male counterparts, the Terps women may not be able to parlay their upset into postseason gold.With nine regular-season games and at least one game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament remaining, Maryland (10-7)

COLLEGE PARK -- An exhibition game against a team from Australia before the 1993-94 season proved to be a revelation for the Maryland basketball team. Though the Terrapins lost, they discovered a potential star named Joe Smith.No such surprises are expected tonight, when Maryland tunes up for the 1996-97 season with an 8 p.m. exhibition game at Cole Field House against the Melbourne Tigers. But the first test for the Terps outside of a few intrasquad scrimmages should provide at least a glimpse into their immediate future.

DALLAS -- There will be no practices for nearly six months, no more games until the Maryland basketball team opens next season in Hawaii at the Maui Classic.But the expectations have started to build for the Terrapins, who saw their dreams of another NCAA tournament upset extinguished Friday night in a 78-71 loss to Michigan in the Midwest Regional semifinals.By reaching the Sweet 16, and by returning all 10 scholarship players from this year's team, Maryland will face a different sort of challenge in 1994-95.

COLLEGE PARK -- During the first half of a recent exhibition game at Cole Field House, some fans began to show their frustration with the effort being made by the Maryland basketball team.They didn't boo or scream at the Terrapins, who were leading the Polish National team by just a handful of points at the time. They fidgeted and murmured, wondering when -- not if -- the blowout was going to come."Last year people were happy just when we were in the game," junior forward Exree Hipp said after what turned out to be an easy victory.

COLLEGE PARK -- After beating Clemson by 20 points at home, but losing to now top-ranked Duke by 13 in Durham, N.C., the University of Maryland basketball team dropped from 18th to 21st in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll.It marks the third straight week the Terrapins have been ranked in the poll after more than an eight-year absence. Maryland (12-4, 5-2) plays at Virginia (11-5, 5-2) tomorrow night on ESPN.Maryland coach Gary Williams wasn't surprised that his Terrapins dropped."That's OK," said Williams.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- After stopping Florida State and Bobby Sura on Tuesday night at home, the University of Maryland basketball team will have a decidedly more difficult task when it plays Wake Forest today in a 4 p.m. Atlantic Coast Conference game here at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.In a building where they have won once since it opened five seasons ago, the Terrapins will have to cool the suddenly hot Demon Deacons and their star guard, Randolph Childress.Considering what happened Thursday in Durham, it won't be easy.

COLLEGE PARK -- The University of Maryland basketball team dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 as a result of last week's losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech.The Terrapins, who ended more than an eight-year absence when they made it to No. 25 three weeks ago, got as high as 18th before dropping back to No. 21 last week.Maryland coach Gary Williams said he was not surprised that the 12-6 Terps were not included among the nation's Top 25 teams, but that no Atlantic Coast Conference team besides No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke was."

College Park -- The telephone kept ringing behind Gary Williams as he sat in his office. A coach from South America wanted to come watch Williams run his University of Maryland basketball team through preseason workouts -- for a couple of weeks. The business school needed Williams to speak at a breakfast meeting. A fan was trying to secure tickets."It's getting a little crazy around here," said Williams.Williams wasn't complaining. In fact, he is slowly firing up his own internal engines, moving from the semi-relaxed mode of late spring and summer to the steady, purposeful pace of fall to the frenzied and sometimes frothing-at-the-mouth style that will find its way to the team's sideline this winter.

COLLEGE PARK -- A positive sign for the Maryland basketball team came in the number of shots Greivis Vasquez missed Friday night, as well as the number of passes the senior guard made that turned into easy baskets for the Terrapins. Those numbers added up to an 89-51 victory over Charleton Southern in the season opener at Comcast Center. Despite shooting 3-for-14 from the field and finishing with just nine points, Vasquez had 13 assists to set the tone for the Terps, who shared the ball (27 assists)

Donald J. Schuerholz, a retired co-owner of a Baltimore consulting engineering firm and a former captain of the University of Maryland men's basketball team, died of heart failure May 2 at the Fairhaven Health Care Center in Sykesville. The former Ellicott City resident was 86. His father, William Schuerholz, who coached the Loyola College men's basketball team from 1912 to 1926, had 10 children. Donald Schuerholz's elder brother, Gilbert, was an All-American soccer goaltender. His nephew is Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz.

COLLEGE PARK -- As the parts of the Maryland basketball team slowly started to fit together over the past month, the team's confidence grew, and positive results followed. The Terps have won nine of their past 11 going into tonight's game against North Carolina State at Comcast Center, and their transformation is nearly complete. North Carolina State@Maryland Tonight, 8, chs. 54, 20, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Records: N.C. State (15-7, 4-4 ACC); Maryland (15-8, 5-3 ACC)

Charlotte, N.C. -- For a Maryland basketball team looking to find its collective confidence, yesterday's game against the Charlotte 49ers at Charlotte Bobcats Arena was more than just a site survey for this season's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. When the Terrapins return here in March, they will come back with positive vibes, senior forward James Gist and sophomore guard Greivis Vasquez in particular. Holy Cross @Maryland Tuesday, 8 p.m., CSN+, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM

Don't feel bad if you're conflicted about the Maryland basketball team's graduation rate. Or lack thereof. It's perfectly reasonable to buy what Gary Williams is selling us about that stretch of time - 1997 to 2000, encompassing players from the 2002 national championship team - when players came, played, left and didn't get degrees within six years. It's just as reasonable to buy what the critics are saying about the unique place this program holds among every Division I program in the nation, the only school in the NCAA's compilation of graduation rates with a big, stinkin' zero attached to it. Both sides are right.

COLLEGE PARK -- For some reason, this Maryland basketball team seems to play at its best when its situation is near its worst. Last night was no exception. Maryland@Florida State Tuesday, 8 p.m., Ch. 54, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM

Five questions about the Terps Several key questions linger for the Maryland basketball team heading into next season: Who will be back? John Gilchrist almost definitely will not, as he'll likely declare early for the NBA draft, but aside from him and the graduation of unheralded seniors Mike Grinnon and Darien Henry, the Terps' roster will be similar. Nik Caner-Medley, Mike Jones and Ekene Ibekwe had been rumored to be going elsewhere, but all three said in the past couple weeks that they'll definitely be back.

COLLEGE PARK - A season already rife with adversity got a little more difficult for the University of Maryland basketball team yesterday when it was determined that sophomore guard D.J. Strawberry will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Strawberry, the Terps' best defender, was injured in practice Monday, and the team's medical staff determined the severity of the injury late Tuesday. According to trainer J.J. Bush, Strawberry will have surgery once the swelling subsides and is expected to require six months of recovery time.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - If last night was indeed a statement game for the Maryland basketball team, the Terrapins had plenty to say. Before 5,926 at the Springfield Civic Center and a national television audience, the 13th-ranked Terps pounded No. 25 Memphis, 84-61, in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. Searching to put together a dominant 40 minutes, and show they are a national title contender against a ranked opponent, the Terps (3-0) came about as close to a perfect game as they could get at this juncture of the season.

COLLEGE PARK - The early returns have been mainly positive for the Maryland basketball team. Junior forward Nik Caner-Medley is visibly stronger and seems to have rediscovered the confidence that was missing toward the end of last season. The Terps' best defender, D.J. Strawberry, has been lauded for his offense. Mike Jones, the team's purest shooter, has earned some praise for his defense. And the team's stable of post players, the group that many believe will control the Terps' fate this season, is said to be making strides.