Maryland head coach Gary Williams enters his third decade at the helm of the Terrapins program this year-and he has already assured fans that this season will be just as intense as any other.
"This is my 20th year," he told the crowd at Maryland Madness Oct. 17. "It's been a great 20 years personally for me, but the only thing that matters is this season. Our pledge to you is to come out every night and play as hard as we can."
Intensity has been a key characteristic of Williams' squads over the years, as his tight defensive style has led to a 397-215 record over 19 seasons at his alma mater. Williams' reign has produced ACC regular season championships in 1995 and 2002, as well as an ACC Tournament championship in 2004 and the 2002 National Championship. Including his pre-Maryland years at American, Boston College and Ohio State, Williams has amassed 604 wins in his coaching career, which ranks him eighth among active coaches.
Despite Williams' success as a coach and his reputation for beating top-ranked teams during the regular season, his 20th season is not shaping up to be one of his finest.
The Terrapins have made the NCAA Tournament only once in the past four years, and return an inexperienced squad-especially inside the paint.
Maryland will rely on junior guards Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez to lead the team, with help from junior forward Landon Milbourne. Milbourne has big shoes to fill in the paint for the Terrapins following the departures of James Gist and Bambale Osby, who led Maryland in rebounding last season. The 6-foot-7 Milbourne averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season.
Freshman Sean Mosley figures to see significant time for Maryland, as well. The 6-foot-5 guard was the country's ninth-ranked shooting guard and No. 40 player overall, according to scout.com.
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