From: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu (R.CLOUGH)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: A Look Ahead at the ACC: Maryland
Date: 17 Aug 92 21:01:57 GMT
Reply-To: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Organization: Duke U. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC

A look at Maryland, 1992-93:

Name		Height	Weight	Year	Position	Comment
--------------- ------- ------- -------	--------------- -----------------------
Kevin McLinton* 6-3	208	Senior	Point Guard	Will shine this year
Chris Kerwin*	6-10	212	Senior	Power Forward
Evers Burns*	6-8	247	Senior	Center
Mike Thibeault	6-2	169	Junior	Guard
John Walsh	6-7	205	Soph.	Small Forward
Wayne Bristol	6-2	165	Soph.	Off Guard	Quick; can shoot
Gene Soto	6-7	220	Soph.	Small Forward
Kurtis Shultz	6-7	238	Soph.	Power Forward
James Spears	6-7		Soph.	Forward		Transfer
Johnny Rhodes	6-5		Frosh.	Off Guard	Finally qualified	
Duane Simpkins	6-0		Frosh.	Point Guard
Exree Hipp	6-7	200	Frosh.	Swing
Nemanja Petrovic 6-10	235	Frosh.	Power Forward
Mario Lucas	6-8.5	205	Frosh.	Center/PF

* Started last year

NOTES:
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The Terps lose superstar Walt Williams to the NBA but gain a top-5 recruiting
class.  They also lose hard-working Vince Broadnax, Matt Downing and Garfield
Smith.  The latter players were injured for much of the year and never really
got untracked, despite their talent.  Someone needs to step up and pick up
Williams' scoring slack and also do the dirty work that Broadnax performed.
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Maryland got one of the best recruiting classes in the country, finally giving
Gary Williams some real talent to work with for four years.  He's being 
performing miracles with unheralded JuCos and walk-ons for the past few years,
laboring under NCAA sanctions and dealing with season-ending injuries.
The talent starts with 6-5 Johnny Rhodes, a player who finally qualified on the
SAT's this summer.  He is the most highly regarded member of this group.  
Point Duane Simpkins has been compared to Tommy Amaker and Sidney Lowe, and may
even start as one guard.  Wing Exree Hipp can really fly and power forward
Mario Lucas is a strong presence inside.  Another forward, James Spears, will
join the team at midseason, transferring from Temple.  Fragile Nemanja Petrovic
has what the rest of this group does not--size.  Unfortunately, he's not a 
very physical player, but he is a great shooter.  He was injured for much of his
senior year.  
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Maryland is once again one of the shortest teams in the ACC.  Their two tallest
players, Kerwin and Petrovic are immobile and inexperienced, respectively.
Replacing Walt Williams' scoring will not be easy, but this team has won before
without the Wizard, and can do so again.   The three positions on this team
that desperately needed to be filled-- point, off-guard and small forward-- can
not so coincidentally be played by Simpkins, Rhodes and Hipp.  
  McLinton can play either guard position and will undoubtedly start.  Rhodes 
will probably get the other starting nod in the backcourt, with Simpkins 
receiving ample playing time when either Rhodes or McLinton come out.  Wayne
Bristol will come out as a three-point specialist.  Mike Thibeault probably 
won't see much time.  This is not a bad rotation, especially if Rhodes and 
Simpkins adjust to life in the ACC quickly.  Between Rhodes and McLinton, 
the void created by Williams may be filled.  McLinton has measured up to 
challenges in the past, and being the senior leader is a role that will suit
him.
   The Terps are certainly loaded at forward, but the talent level is not equal
to their backcourt.  Kerwin will start; though not a great talent, his hard
work and sheer size will help the team greatly.  Muscular Kurtis Shultz
will try and get more time;  he is very slow but very strong.  If nothing else,
he will be a worth a few extra fouls for Kerwin and a few more bruises for
the opposition.  It's more likely that Mario Lucas will be worked into the 
lineup as quickly as possible; he may be the most talented of all the big 
forwards on this team, though that's certainly not saying much.  Maryland has 
an interesting collection of players at small forward.  Two of them, Gene Soto
and John Walsh are both extremely slow, but great shooters and intelligent
players.  The third, Exree Hipp, is quick and explosive.  Seems like Maryland 
could play their usual pressing defense with their quicker players and a 
halfcourt game with their slower players.  Hipp will probably start, but Walsh
will probably see a lot of time as well.  Spears will probably see some action
at both forward positions.
   At center, the Terps offer Evers Burns, a man who has steadily improved 
during the course of his career.  He has become a good rebounder and a decent
scorer.  How he will compete with the tougher big men in the conference on a
regular basis remains to be seen.  One major flaw is that he is foul-prone;
that could be fatal on a team that is as shallow inside as Maryland.  Petrovic
may see some time at center, but isn't expected to be a big contributor his 
first year.  
  Maryland has set a steady foundation for success this year.  Rhodes and 
Simpkins give them a backcourt that may one day be the best in the ACC.
However, a lack of a quality inside game will put too much of a load on the
guards of this team, especially as defenses will now concentrate on McLinton
now that W.Williams is gone.  Kerwin & Burns have far exceeded expectations,
but are too slow and too small to keep up with the Wakes and UNC's of the ACC
as far as size, and the Duke's and FSU's as far as overall team speed.
The Wizard's superhuman efforts barely kept this team above .500; his absence
will hurt in the short term.  This will be a rebuilding year for Maryland,
but they are definitely going in the right direction.  If Hipp, Lucas & Spears
play above expectations, then all they will need is a decent big man to 
really contend.  The tenacity of the team and their pressure defense will 
produce a few upsets, but not enough to keep them out of the ACC cellar.
PREDICTION: 9th place, ACC
TRIVIA QUESTION:  In what year did Maryland win their only ACC championship?

Robert Clough, DUMC (though certainly not speaking for them)
	"I'm not angry.  I'm a delightful sort of person."--Bob Dylan