| | March 9, 2000
I think I have played like I was capable this year. I have gotten a lot of
support from my teammates.
I am not really sure how I compare with guys like
Kenyon Martin, I am sorry to hear that he broke his (leg) today, he has had a
heck of a season. I don't really know how my stats compare to his, but I
have watched him play and he has really come through for them a lot this
season. I really feel bad for him.
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Inside the Locker Room
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Throughout Championship Week, ESPN.com and FANSonly.com are presenting an inside look into the ACC tournament from some of the league's top players, including Terence Morris of Maryland. For more on the ACC, visit the conference's official web site.
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As for my season, a lot of people probably didn't recognize what Juan Dixon
was capable of at the beginning of the season, but he has opened up a lot of
eyes and we have opened up a lot of eyes. Both he and Lonny (Baxter) have
stepped up real big this year. I don't want any pressure to be on those
young guys, I just want all the pressure to be on me so that don't have
anything to worry about, but they have played so well that a lot of guys are
coming at them and they may be feeling some more of the pressure.
This tournament is a real good opportunity for us. We all realize the
regular season is over and that it is one and done for us. So we don't want
to be that team to leave earlier than expected. We think we have a better
chance to win it than we did the last two years because were not just an
up-and-down team anymore, we are a halfcourt team too. And our bench is
playing really really well so that may give us a better chance than in
previous years.
We know Duke is the favorite to win the ACC tournament this year because of
the season they had and because they won it last year, but they have beaten
us and we have beaten them. We feel we can definitely beat them on a neutral
floor. We just need to come out with the same focus we have before and play
hard.
We don't really look at what we are playing for, we just go out and
try to play Maryland basketball everytime we are on the floor. It doesn't
matter who we are playing against, we just want to go out there and win.
Right now we just want to get on the road and into the NCAA tournament. We
feel we finished the season up real well in the conference and we feel we
can beat just about anyone out there.
The last couple years we have had some guys who have gotten down on
themselves. Last year in this tournament we got down to Carolina because
people lost their confidence in the second half and it just kept getting
worse. The same thing happened against Carolina in the regular season two
years ago, when we should have won in regulation and ended up losing in
overtime.
This year there is definitely situations when we can run up and down the
court and there are times when we can slow things down too. I think that is
something we learned gradually through the season and through our tough
out-of-conference games.
I haven't really noticed any differences in coach
Williams' coaching style this year. I think we are more of a halfcourt team,
but the coaches just did a good job of recognizing that we weren't as
athletic this year. It was really tough to lose three guys to the NBA but
the guys that were just coming off the bench last year have been the keys to
our success this year.
I really don't know if I am staying for my senior season and I haven't
really thought about it. Actually, I would rather not talk about it right
now. Now is the time for me to focus on the tournament and these games.
There will be time after the season to think about that.
I think it all
depends on the individual situation a player is in. I think staying in
school could make me a better player and a better person. My family knows I
am old enough to make my own decisions, so they have put me on the point to
make the decision myself. Whatever I decide to do is fine with them.
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ALSO SEE
Championship Week
Atlantic Coast Conference tournament
Inside the Locker Room: Robert O'Kelley
Inside the Locker Room: Jason Collier
Inside the Locker Room: Mike Krzyzewski
Inside the Locker Room: Lonny Baxter
Inside the Locker Room: Ron Hale
Inside the Locker Room: Kenny Inge
Inside the Locker Room: Darius Songaila
Inside the Locker Room: Johnny Hemsley
Inside the Locker Room: Morris Peterson
Inside the Locker Room: Mark Dickel
Inside the Locker Room: Rahim Lockhart
Inside the Locker Room: Jamaal Magloire
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