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| | Monday, March 5 Chat wrap: Gary Williams | ||||||
Williams, inducted into the Maryland athletic hall of fame in 1999, has achieved a school-record seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and the Terps' 53 wins in the last two seasons are bettered by only six schools nationally. The decade of the 1990's was certainly a decade of resurgence for the Maryland basketball team. Included among the many superior accomplishments during the decade and counting the 2000 season were: the school-record seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1994-00), four "Sweet 16" appearances, seven consecutive upper division finishes in the ACC including runner-up distinction in 1999 and 2000, a school-record 28 victories during the 1998-99 season, four NBA lottery picks, one national Player of the Year and one ACC Player of the Year. On Saturday, the Terps steamrolled into the postseason with a 102-67 dismantling of No. 7 Virginia in ACC play. The 35-point victory, matching Maryland's biggest ever over Virginia, clinched third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Terrapins (20-9, 10-6), who will play sixth-seeded Wake Forest in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday. For more information on Maryland basketball, visit the Maryland Athletic Department's website.
 Gary Williams at 12:04pm ET
Hello again, everyone. Thanks for joining me on the chat. I look forward to your questions. Eric - Frederick, MD from [205.188.192.168], at 12:05pm ET Gary, Do you think Terence is at his peak of the season now ? Gary Williams at 12:05pm ET
Terence has been a consistent rebounder for us all season. The last few games, he's played much more aggressively, and it looks like he's starting to shoot the ball very well again. Mgetti from [152.163.204.211], at 12:06pm ET Coach, What has been the catalyst for the increased confidence displayed by Danny Miller lately? His game against Virginia was definitely his most impressive game this year. Gary Williams at 12:07pm ET
Danny has played well the last couple of weeks. His confidence has gradually gotten back to where it should be for a player of his ability. When he was in high school, he handled the ball quite a bit and has outstanding skills for a player at 6-8. He is very valuable because he can play several positions. terpfan from [128.8.54.35], at 12:08pm ET How do you feel about facing a tough Wake team that we've already beaten twice? Gary Williams at 12:09pm ET
Wake Forest obviously is a good basketball team. We will have to play well to win that game. But when you're the third seed in the ACC Tournament, no matter who you will play, it is usually a difficult team. SteveKasselEA from [129.2.18.77], at 12:09pm ET Gary, what do you think of the play of reserves Drew Nicholas, Tahj Holden, and Chris Wilcox? Gary Williams at 12:10pm ET
We have five players as of right now, who are playing very well coming off the bench. One of the reasons that we have played well at the end of the year is that we have been able to keep players fresh this year. If you don't have a good bench, that is difficult to do. TerpsFan10 from [24.4.252.17], at 12:10pm ET Coach, Do you think you have any shot for a number 2 seed in the NCAA's? Gary Williams at 12:11pm ET
There has been a lot of talk about where we will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. But, the only thing we can do is to play very well in the ACC Tournament. If we do that, the seeding questions will take care of themselves. jeff from [64.12.96.108], at 12:13pm ET Hello Coach WIlliams...It seems as though the team has really pulled together as a unit, what changes have you or the team taken upon themselves to regroup after the tough loss to Duke and then to Florida State? Gary Williams at 12:14pm ET
The players are responsible for our turnaround this season. They refuse to quit. And, we had great leadership from Mike Mardesich, LaRon Cephas in terms of making sure the younger players understood that the season wasn't over. It is a great feeling to watch a team fight its way out of the hole that we were in. UMTerps from [208.216.231.29], at 12:15pm ET How do you prepare for the ACC Tourney and possibly playing 3 games in 3 days? Gary Williams at 12:16pm ET
At this time of the year, it is difficult to change the conditioning of your team. We have been able to use our bench, so our starters are in as good of shape as they could probably be at this time of year. If we do advance in the ACC Tournament, then the bench becomes more important because a few minor injuries usually show up when you play three games in three days. Ted the Terp Fan from [208.203.167.21], at 12:16pm ET Are you happy to see the ACC tourney moving away from Carolina this year? Gary Williams at 12:18pm ET
As you know, this year the tournament is in Atlanta. We have already sold over 40,000 tickets for the games, and I think that's a great thing for our conference. The ACC Tournament is the oldese conference tournament in the country and I would hate to see it end. The idea of moving the tournament around to various places within the conference really helps our national image. Hopefully, we'll continue the great tradition of the ACC Tournament. GDawg from [205.128.224.6], at 12:18pm ET Who do you feel will be your toughest challenge heading into the ACC Tourney? Gary Williams at 12:20pm ET
When you head to the ACC Tournament, you get ready for that first game like you would any other game during the season. At the same time, you have your scouting reports and your videotapes ready on every other team because there are often upsets in the tournament and you have to be prepared for any situation. But winning the first game is the most important thing, obviously, and so we will spend all of our time in preparing for Wake Forest. TerpSupporter from [208.141.96.217], at 12:20pm ET Coach - great win against a tough UVA team this weekend. Congrats on on the winning streak, we're all pulling for it to continue. Can you address the fact that Chris Wilcox has only played 3 minutes in each of the last 2 games, even though he had a great performance against OU? Gary Williams at 12:22pm ET
With Mike Mardesich and Tahj Holden playing well, and our starters not getting into foul trouble, there really hasn't been a lot of minutes for anyone else to play. However, Chris Wilcox is a very valuable member of our team and I'm sure that as the ACC Tournament progresses, he'll see more minutes than he did against Duke and Virginia. He is still a freshman and still learning. He is learning to be a forward and not a center, and in the long run, that will make Chris a much better player. Greg Arnold from [129.2.193.175], at 12:22pm ET Do you feel that your team deserves the same attention as UNC and Duke heading into the tournament? Good luck with everything, and see you in Atlanta!! Go Terps! Gary Williams at 12:23pm ET
Because Duke and Carolina tied for the championship of the regular season, they deserve the most attention going into the ACC Tournament. Our job is to continue to play well, and if we do, people will continue to take notice. Hans from [129.2.56.237], at 12:24pm ET What do you think of Lefty Drissell being able to take 4 different teams to the Big Dance? Gary Williams at 12:25pm ET
Lefty Driesell deserves a lot of credit for taking four different teams to the NCAA Tournament. In the early '70s, he did a great job in making Maryland basketball exciting, and proving that Maryland could be one of the top programs in the country. He should be given a lot of credit for what he's done over the course of his coaching career. Gary Williams at 12:26pm ET
The NCAA uses their own RPI system. There are a few RPIs that have different factors in how they rate the teams. I haven't been able to figure out how it works. All I know is there are five ACC teams ranked in the Top 20 in the country. Gary Williams at 12:31pm ET
Thanks again very much for your questions. Thanks for following Maryland basketball. | |||||||
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