FRIDAY, MARCH. 29, 2002
FINALFOUR
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3B
Terps seek redemption in Atlanta
By Brent Wasko
Kansan sportswriter
Maryland has had to play under the pressure of high expectations all season, and the Terrapins know that pressure won't go away just because they made it to the Final Four.
They've been here before—now they want to take the next step by winning a national championship.
The Terrapins are the only team returning to the Final Four since last season. They fell to Duke in a national semifinal game last season 95-84 after leading by 22 points.
Maryland coach Gary Williams said making it to the Final Four last year changed the way the team approached this season.
"We were picked very high in the preseason and we had to deal with that through the practices leading up to our first game," he said. "After losing that first game to Arizona, right away people thought something was wrong."
Williams said his team had changed a lot since then.
"We've progressively gotten better this year, and I think we're a much better team now than we were in December," he said.
Maryland, which is 30-4, won the ACC regular season championship with a 15-1 conference record. The Terrapins have won 17 of their last 18 games, which has led many Maryland fans to think the school's first national title is on its way.
But before Maryland can worry about winning a national championship, it must first concentrate on its national semifinal game against Kansas tomorrow in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said, because Maryland was so intent on advancing further than it did last year, the Terrapins might be a more dangerous team than ever.
"Their goal was not just to get back to Atlanta," Roy Williams said. "I think they're probably mad about what happened last year and they're going to be so much more focused to go there and get it done. That's a tough situation to play a team that's thinking about that, especially as talented as they are."
Maryland was a fairly young team last year when it played in the Final Four, but this year's squad is experienced. The Terrapins are led by three senior co-captains — forward Lonny Baxter and guards Juan Dixon and Byron Mouton.
"The fact that Byron transferred from Tulane and sat out a year is unusual. Sometimes you have to reinvent yourself and Byron has done a good job of that the past two years." Gary Williams said.
"Both Lonny and Juan were considered blue chip recruits. I think there are a lot of guys who left school early who are jealous of
Maryland Terrapins
East region No. 1-seed
- Record: 30-4 overall; 15-1 in the ACC.
- Head coach: Garv Williams
Top scorer: Juan Dixon, 19.3 ppg
Top scorer: Juan Dixon, 19.3 ppg
How they got here: defeated No.
16-seed Siena, 85-70; defeated No. 8-
seed Wisconsin, 87-57; defeated No.
4-seed Kentucky, 78-88; defeated No.
2-second Connecticut, 90-82
the experience that Juan and Lonny have had."
Maryland has a lot of offensive firepower, but Dixon steals the show for the Terrapins. The All-American became the Terps' all-time scoring champ during Maryland's second-round win against Wisconsin. He is averaging 19.3 points per game this season.
"I've enjoyed reading about and hearing about Juan Dixon and how far that young man has come from the problems he had as a kid," Roy Williams said, referring to Dixon's rise out of poverty as a child. "You know that Juan Dixon is going to play a great game."
Contact Wasko at bwasko@kensan.com. This story was edited by Jenna Goeffert.
Juan Dixon, No.3 6-3,164,senior guard
Steve Blake, No.25 6-3,160,junior guard
Byron Mouton, No.1 6-6,215,senior guard
Lonny Baxter, No. 35 6-8,260,seniorforward
Chris Wilcox, No.54 6-10,220,soph.forward
Player's dad spares no expense to watch son
The Associated Press
COLLEGE PARK, Md. Richard Blake loves to watch his son play basketball, hates flying, and apparently doesn't mind driving.
Blake has logged thousands of milesfollowing his son, Maryland guard Steve Blake. First, to schools in the Miami area, then to Virginia where his son transferred in his senior year of high school. And for the last three years, to College Park and wherever else the Terps might be playing.
"It's a lot of driving, but you know what's on the other end of it
watching great basketball and
watching my son play," he said.
"It's awesome."
Blake says he has attended almost all of the Maryland games his son has played in, except when they travel to the West Coast or Hawaii. He considered flying to last year's NCAA West regional, but the ticket was too expensive.
Four years ago, the elder Blake sold his house in Miami Lakes, Fla., and moved into a nearby apartment so he could afford the trips. He said he spends up to $20,000 a year to watch his son.
"I've been going to all of his games since he was 5 years old," Blake said.
This basketball odyssey has put
about 150,000 miles on a conversion van Blake bought last year that includes a bed and a television set. He said it takes him about 18 hours to drive from south Florida to College Park, and most of the trips are made alone.
Last weekend, he drove more than 28 hours to Syracuse, N.Y., to watch Maryland advance to the Final Four in Atlanta, getting back to Miami on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he left for Atlanta for this weekend's games.
"I've always been there and (Steve) expects me to be there," Blake said.
Blake said he is reluctant to fly because of a near-miss in 1986,
when a company plane he was on crash-landed in the Everglades after both engines failed during a severe thunderstorm.
"I wasn't hurt, but that cured me of fling." Blake said.
Blake went to Atlanta with his wife, Cindy, and both of their fathers. He said they planned to return to Miami Lakes next week and "celebrate a Maryland championship," but admitted he was nervous about this weekend.
"I'm a wreck until the game starts," he said.
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