July 2, 1998

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland begins the 1998-99 season with three returning starters and five of its top seven scorers and rebounders from last seasons NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team. It is a veteran cast ready to combine with one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in school annals to produce one of the most talented squads and highly anticipated seasons in the history of the program.

After winning 103 total games, 47 conference games and playing in a school record five consecutive NCAA Tournaments since 1994, the ascension of the Maryland basketball program into the hierarchy of the college basketball world continues at alarming speed.

Maryland is certain to begin the 1998-99 season ranked among the nations top teams. Already, the Terps have been tabbed No. 5 in the pre-season by Jay Bilas of ESPN, and most basketball insiders view the team as one of the top two in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terps recruiting class has been rated the fifth best in the nation by Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News and the third best by recruiting analyst Clark Francis of ESPN.

Head coach Gary Williams has truly built one of the most talented and deepest teams in his 10 seasons at Maryland. The Terps are experienced and tested at every position and posses as much quality depth as any squad he has coached. That talent, experience and depth will allow Williams the flexibility to put many strong lineup combinations on the court throughout all 40 minutes of every game. The Terps will be built for speed and can be constructed to play with a big line-up, a small lineup or anywhere in between. At all times, though, the Terps will resemble all Williams teams -- looking to run the court and score a lot of points on offense and looking to play all 94 feet of the court on defense.

Experience, Depth and Leadership in the Starting Line-up

Seniors Laron Profit, Obinna Ekezie and Terrell Stokes all return as third-year starters and veteran leaders. The trio has led Maryland to the last three NCAA Tournaments, three-upper division ACC finishes and helped the program become a fixture in the national polls.

Profit was an honorable mention All-American selection as a junior and returns for his final season as one of the nations most athletically gifted players. A third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a sophomore and junior, he enters his senior season ranked third all-time at Maryland with 184 career steals. The defensive standout was credited with 87 steals last season -- a total which ranks as the second-best single season effort in school history. Profit averaged a career-high and team-leading 15.8 points per game last season and is the Terps leading returning scorer. He enters his senior season with 1,072 career points which places him among the all-time leaders at Maryland.

Ekezie, was on honorable mention All-ACC selection last season who is considered by many to be the top true center in the ACC. He averaged a career-high 12.8 points and a career-high 6.5 rebounds per game last season. He was outstanding in a pressure situation against Illinois in the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, making six straight free-throws (both ends of one-and-one attempts) in the final 118 seconds to push Maryland past the Illini, 67-61, and into the Sweet 16 for the third time in five years. Says Williams: Hes (Ekezie) made amazing strides in terms of learning the game. As he plays more, hes going to get better. It still might be three or four years down the road before he reaches his full ability. Ekezie will play for Nigeria in the World Championships this summer.

Stokes ranked third in the ACC with a career-high 2.3:1 assists to turnover ratio last season and returns as Marylands starting point guard for the third consecutive season. He enters his senior season with 377 assists and 123 steals which makes him one of only seven players to be ranked in the top 10 in career assists and career steals in Maryland history. Stokes holds the single-game school record for assists with 14 against Towson University on Nov. 30, 1996 and owns two of the top three single-game assist marks in school history. He was credited with a career-high and team-leading 149 total assists for a career-high and team-leading 4.7 assists per game last season. Stokes was at his best in the postseason when he averaged 7.3 points and 5.7 assists in three NCAA Tournament games and had 14 assists and only two turnovers in two ACC Tournament games. Experienced Depth

This years team could be considered one of the deepest and most talented in school history. Williams will continue to realize the fruits of his programs recruiting successes when he looks toward a very capable bench, able to choose any one of a number of players in an effort to substitute a quality player from the bench for a quality player on the floor.

Terence Morris and Mike Mardesich, a pair of enormously talented sophomores, will take on increased roles this season. Both played in all 32 games last season and gained the experience that will allow them to become prime-time players in the ACC.

Morris was an honorable mention All-ACC Freshman team selection last year as he averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds during his inaugural collegiate season. He displayed his athleticism with 29 blocked shots, 27 steals and 13 3-point shots made. He improved he game throughout the season as he adjusted from a back to the basket offensive player to a facing the basket player upon his arrival at Maryland. He played his best basketball in the second half of the season, averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 16.9 minutes per game from mid-season on as compared to 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 15.1 minutes per game during the first half of the season. Morris performed well in his first career ACC Tournament, averaging 10.5 points.

Mardesich, who enters the season as a redshirt sophomore, averaged 5.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing 18.2 minutes played per game. He scored his ACC high of 12 points in leading Maryland past No. 1 North Carolina in Cole Field House. He played a season-high 34 minutes and was on the court to begin the decisive overtime period. Mardesich should see time as both a starter and reserve and will help the team in both roles throughout the season.

Redshirt senior Brian Watkins, redshirt sophomore LaRon Cephas and freshman Lonny Baxter will round out a strong frontcourt for the Terps.

Watkins is now in his fourth year as a member of the Terps program and will be counted on as a valuable member of the Terps front court with his 59 games of collegiate playing experience. He has displayed flashes of his tremendous ability on both ends of the court. He scored a season-high eight points in a season-high 14 minutes played against Florida International last season and will look to post those types of numbers on a more consistent basis this season.

Cephas is another wide-body who the Terps will look to be a force on the glass at both ends of the court. His development last season allowed Williams great flexibility with his big men. He appeared in 21 games and may have been at his best when Maryland defeated then No. 1 North Carolina, 89-83 in overtime, on Jan. 14. He contributed four crucial minutes at the end of the first half in place of Marylands foul-troubled front court. Cephas was inserted into the lineup for All-ACC performer Rodney Elliott with 3:43 remaining in the half and the score tied at 32. He finished the half on the court and led Maryland into the locker room with a four-point lead (41-37).

Baxter is a banger who will have the ability to give the Terps quality minutes from the beginning of the season. He averaged 21.4 points and 10.3 rebounds at Hargrave Military Academy during the 1997-98 season. His fits the mold of a solid, well-built Maryland forward and should easily fit into the Terps rotation.

Marylands backcourt depth will be provided by junior college transfer Steve Francis, freshman Danny Miller and redshirt freshman Juan Dixon. These newcomers will immediately combine with Marylands returning backcourt of Stokes and Profit to form a talented and versatile group and offer Williams many lineup possibilities.

Francis, was named a first team NJCAA All-American after leading Allegany (Md.) Community College to the national tournament. He averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 5.3 steals while shooting 53 percent from the field and 82 percent (204 of 248) from the free throw line. He scored 66 points in two games of the NJCAA tournament, the fourth highest two-game total in the history of the tournament.

Miller, a McDonalds All-American, averaged 20.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor as a senior. He was a consensus All-American selection and appeared on all the national lists of the top prep players. He led Rancocas Valley High School to a state championship and to the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions in New Jersey his senior season.

Dixon is familiar to the Maryland program having enrolled as a student and joined the team for the second semester last season. He practiced and traveled with the team during the entire second half of the season. As a senior at Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore he was a two-time first-team All-Metro selection by the Baltimore Sun and averaged 23.4 points and 4.5 rebounds during his senior season. Dixon shot nearly 90 percent from the free throw line as a senior and led Calvert Hall to the Catholic League Tournament finals during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons

Senior Norman Fields and juniors Matt Hahn and Atman Smith have proved to be valuable players throughout their careers and will again be counted on to add depth in the backcourt.

Fields enjoyed his best season in 1998 as he played in a career-high 12 games. Fields will lend great depth off the bench. Hahn is a solid player who possesses a strong work ethic. As a member of the practice squad, he emulates the upcoming opponents point guard in practice. Smith, like Hahn, is a valued squad member who works with the scout team to help the Terps prepare for each game. He played in 11 games and established career-highs for points scored, rebounds and minutes played last season.