It was definitely not supposed to be this way for John Gilchrist. As a sophomore two years ago, the point guard dominated an ACC Tournament which the Terrapins eventually won.
But last season, Gilchrist and Maryland struggled, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than a decade. The Terrapins' only consistency was their inconsistency, as they swept two games against Duke, but lost all three of their contests against lowly Clemson.
The star point guard was similarly enigmatic, shining at times but often drawing criticism for his selfishness and off-court attitude. He left school early for the NBA, but went undrafted.
Now, faced with the loss of their most talented player, the Terrapins hope for addition by subtraction.
Head coach Gary Williams will return all his starters with the exception of Gilchrist. But with D.J. Strawberry coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that put an early end to his sophomore season and the emergence of senior Sterling Ledbetter, the Maryland point guard position should be in good hands.
Ledbetter, a senior, finished the season as the Terrapins' point guard after Gilchrist was injured. Despite not having started a game all season prior to the NIT, Ledbetter led Maryland to a 3-1 record in the postseason tournament and averaged 6.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in that stretch.
"Sterling had an opportunity at the end of last year to start the NIT games and averaged 30 minutes per game," Williams said. "He is in great position to be the starting point guard, but he has to earn it. Part of being a good point guard is to be a leader, and you have to be respected by your teammates in terms of helping the team win. We're looking forward to Sterling doing a good job this year."
Strawberry has played a mix of guard positions over his career, and regardless of his role on the Terrapins this year, the junior will add much-needed defensive support to a unit that finished tied for last in the ACC a year ago, allowing 76.0 points per game.
"He was our best perimeter defender as a freshman," Williams said. "He makes us better defensively. We missed him for a lot of the intangibles, the loose balls, the deflections that we need to be a good team."
If Ledbetter and Strawberry can handle the point efficiently, Maryland should be in good position to reach its goal of returning to the NCAAs.
With 15 victories at home, the Terrapins put themselves in position to reach their 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament last season. The 2003 National Champions, however, missed the NCAAs after recording a 4-10 record away from the Comcast Center and losing to ninth-seeded Clemson in the ACC Tournament.
After losing in the NIT semifinals to South Carolina, the preseason No. 24 Terrapins have set their sights on a bid to the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
"Anytime that you have expectations and you don't reach the goals, you're going to sit back and set new goals," senior Nik Caner-Medley said. "Sometimes you can use the goals you didn't reach as extra motivation."
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