Terence Morris

COLLEGE PARK -- Terence Morris could present a win-win situation for Maryland basketball. If the talented junior forward can break out of a shooting slump, the Terps will be one of the more dangerous customers in the country and Morris' NBA stock will rise. If Morris were to leave Maryland early, the Terps would plaster his photo next to those of its other former great players, such as Joe Smith and Steve Francis. Should Morris remain unable to end the woes that have dropped his field-goal percentage to .397 in Atlantic Coast Conference games, however, perhaps he'll conclude that a senior season at Maryland would be in his best interest.

New York -- His career on the brink of oblivion, Terence Morris took the first steps toward basketball revival in Jerusalem last winter. The University of Maryland product, who helped the Terrapins reach the Final Four for the first time in 2001, bounced around the NBA and the NBA Development League and competed for a team in Greece over the past five years, playing sparingly. In December 2006, his agent, Mike Kneisley of Washington-based The Neustadt Group, worked out a deal with Hapoel Jerusalem, a well-regarded Israeli club that was looking for a power forward for the remainder of the season.

Heads turn. Fingers point.And fans -- some who have journeyed from all corners of the state -- begin to scour the gym for the sole reason of their trip: Terence Morris.A 6-foot-8, lanky forward out of Thomas Johnson High School, Morris has become Frederick's top tourist attraction this winter because he's considered the biggest recruit for Gary Williams at the University of Maryland since Keith Booth four years ago.And with his high-flying slam dunks, game-tying three-pointers and numerous blocked shots, some of which land near half court, Morris hasn't disappointed.

Lonny Baxter did the wrong thing in the wrong place. As a professional basketball player, he has yet to find himself with the right team at the right time. Baxter is expected to be released today from a prison in Washington. He has been behind bars since Aug. 16, when he fired a .40-caliber Glock into the sky from his Range Rover while not far from the White House. Baxter was arrested hours before he was scheduled to leave the country to play for an Italian club, which his agent expects him to do by week's end. Montepaschi Siena will be the ninth pro team that has had the rights to Baxter, a basketball vagabond before and after his four seasons at Maryland.

COLLEGE PARK -- When Tom Dickman, the basketball coach at Frederick's Thomas Johnson High, took in the Maryland-West Virginia football game in September, the people he knew at Byrd Stadium wanted to discuss one matter: the whereabouts of his greatest gift to the state."

The week in reviewResultsWon at Cole, 88-72, over Virginia, SaturdayWon at N.C. State, 63-50, WednesdayWho's hotTerence Morris' shooting slump didn't last long. He made 13 of his 21 field-goal attempts in the two wins.Who's notObinna Ekezie. His career-ending injury during Tuesday's practice is one of the saddest events Maryland basketball has had to deal with in recent years.He said it "I've maintained all along that as much credit and praise as some of their other players get, Terence Morris is a fantastic player."

Clippers: Traded F Brian Skinner and rights to C Tyson Chandler to Bulls for F Elton Brand. Hawks: Agreed in principle to trade first-round pick (third overall), F Lorenzen Wright and G Brevin Knight to Grizzlies for F Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Traded rights to G Jamaal Tinsley to Pacers for future first-round draft pick. Traded rights to F Terence Morris (Maryland) to Rockets for future first-round draft pick. Magic: Traded C Michael Doleac to Cavaliers for rights to C Brendan Haywood. Traded rights to G Omar Cook to Nuggets for future first-round draft pick.

MarylandCoach: Gary Williams, 11th season at Maryland (192-118), 22nd overall (399-246).Affiliation: Atlantic Coast Conference.1998-99 record: 28-6 (13-3 ACC).Radio: WBAL (1090 AM).Arena: Cole Field House (14,500).Tickets: Available for selected games. Call 800-462-8377.Starters lost: Four.Starting lineup: G Steve Blake, G Juan Dixon (7.4 ppg, 44.3 FG pct.), F Terence Morris (15.3 ppg, 55.1 FG pct., 7.1 rpg), F Danny Miller (4.2 ppg, 48.2 FG pct., 2.1 rpg), C Lonny Baxter (6.8 ppg, 59.9 FG pct., 3.6 rpg)

COLLEGE PARK -- With Steve Francis departing for the NBA as expected, Maryland will be minus half of the 12 scholarship players it used this season, but coach Gary Williams expects to make a run at a seventh straight bid in the NCAA tournament in 2000."

Terence Morris, a first-team all-state forward as a sophomore at Frederick's Thomas Johnson High last season, made an oral commitment yesterday to attend the University of Maryland in 1997.It marked the first time in coach Gary Williams' seven seasons at College Park that a player committed before his junior year.Although the commitment is non-binding, there is little doubt about Morris' intentions. Three years ago, while still in middle school, Morris told Thomas Johnson coach Tom Dickman he wanted to play for the Terps.

Moves Baseball ASTROS: Exercised 2005 contract option on OF Craig Biggio. Declined to exercise 2005 contract option on IF Jeff Kent. CUBS: Declined to exercise 2005 options on OF Moises Alou and 2B Mark Grudzielanek. INDIANS: Agreed with P Scott Elarton on one-year contract. MARINERS: Named Ron Hassey bench coach. ROCKIES: Announced the club and OF Jeromy Burnitz have both declined 2005 mutual contract option. WHITE SOX: Announced that DH Frank Thomas and OF Carl Everett have exercised player options for 2005 season.

John Thompson spoke plainly yesterday of what he would do if he were an 18-year-old with the chance to get rich playing professional basketball, just like first-round draft picks Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. "Probably, if I'd been in that situation, I would have done the same thing," the former Georgetown men's basketball coach said, referring to three of the top four picks in Wednesday night's NBA draft. But Thompson, the keynote speaker at the Associated Press Sports Editors convention at the Wyndham hotel downtown, didn't mute his earlier calls for an age requirement for entrance to basketball's highest league.

Clippers: Traded F Brian Skinner and rights to C Tyson Chandler to Bulls for F Elton Brand. Hawks: Agreed in principle to trade first-round pick (third overall), F Lorenzen Wright and G Brevin Knight to Grizzlies for F Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Traded rights to G Jamaal Tinsley to Pacers for future first-round draft pick. Traded rights to F Terence Morris (Maryland) to Rockets for future first-round draft pick. Magic: Traded C Michael Doleac to Cavaliers for rights to C Brendan Haywood. Traded rights to G Omar Cook to Nuggets for future first-round draft pick.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - One week ago, after his team delivered a couple of performances not befitting a powerhouse, Maryland forward Tahj Holden told his mom, Debbie, that she should stay home in Red Bank, N.J., for the West Regional play here at Arrowhead Pond. Instead, he told her to ante up for plane tickets to Minneapolis, the site of this year's Final Four. If Debbie Holden hadn't bought them, her son is a big reason why she has to now, as the third-seeded Terps downed No. 1 seed Stanford in the Elite Eight, 87-73.

BOISE, Idaho - The University of Maryland should have learned from other first-round NCAA tournament losses against smaller schools such as Santa Clara and the College of Charleston. Instead, the No. 3-seeded Terps almost took another painful walk down memory lane yesterday before Maryland guard Juan Dixon made two three throws with five seconds remaining to secure an 83-80 win over No. 14-seeded George Mason in the first round of the 2001 tournament. That's right, George Mason. A Colonial Athletic Association team had the Terps staring into the abyss again.

BOISE, Idaho - When George Mason freshman guard Richard Tynes wants off-the-court advice, he goes to senior teammate and forward George Evans. When he feels a little nervous about today's NCAA tournament opening-round game against Maryland, he gets inspiration from Evans. Evans doesn't succumb to daily pressure. For Evans, pressure is when you're surrounded by eight armed Iraqi soldiers in the Gulf War. Pressure is serving tours of duty in the Army on peacekeeping missions in Somalia and Haiti.

Player, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Cl., Hometown Earl Badu, Maryland, G, 6-0, 167, So., Baltimore Lonny Baxter, Maryland, F, 6-8, 225, So., Silver Spring Keith Bogans, Kentucky, G, 6-5, 205, Fr., Hyattsville Rashad Brooks, Louisville, G, 6-1, 205, Jr., Mardella Springs Juan Dixon, Maryland, G, 6-3, 152, So., Baltimore Corsley Edwards, C. Conn. State, C, 6-9, 270, So., Baltimore Scott Gearhart, Lafayette, F, 6-8, 190, Fr., Darnestown Matt Hahn, Maryland, G, 6-0, 162, Sr., Columbia Johnny Hemsley, Miami, G-F, 6-5, 195, Sr., Baltimore James Jones, S.C., State, G, 6-6, 175, Sr., Mitchellville Mark Karcher, Temple, F, 6-5, 220, Jr., Baltimore Darren Kelly, Texas, G, 6-3, 185, Jr., Forestville Matt Laczkowski, North Carolina, F, 6-9, 210, Sr., Westminster Kyle Logan, Stanford, G-F, 6-6, 190, Fr., Hagerstown Albert Mouring, Connecticut, G, 6-3, 180, Jr., Preston David Morris, Dayton, G, 5-10, 180, So., Laurel Terence Morris, Maryland, F, 6-9, 205, Jr., Frederick Bootsy Thornton, St. John's, G, 6-4, 195, Sr., Baltimore

COLLEGE PARK -- Byron Mouton transfered from Tulane to Maryland, craving the chance to experience playing basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference on nights like this. Three hours after the 16th-ranked Terps beat No. 2 Duke, 91-80, with their most inspired effort of a wild season at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Mouton stepped off the team bus behind Cole Field House and surveyed several hundred cheering fans. Mouton later learned of the party that had consumed the campus after Tuesday's huge victory.