Terence Morris didn't even look up.
The media horde descended upon him, bent on poking and prodding and maybe even extracting a unique or controversial quote, but the most-hyped Maryland forward since the late Len Bias was not paying much attention to them.
Morris focused on the hotel scratch pad on the table in front of him, quietly sketching the beginnings of a cartoon. It was only when one of his inquisitors jarred him from his solitude that the preseason ACC Player of the Year and junior art major dropped the pen from his left hand, turned his head to the side and quietly answered the first of many questions.
Morris does not look for media attention; it finds him. Ask him about leading the Terrapins after losing four starters from a team that won 28 games last year and he will insist the new quartet can do the job. Inquire as to his plans after this season and he shakes off any thoughts of the NBA, pointing to the personal and professional benefits of remaining in College Park for his senior year.
Given a chance to sound his own horn, the 6-foot-9, 205-pound Morris will point out his flaws, but that hasn't stopped the college basketball community from extolling his virtues.
"He's a great player," said Duke junior Shane Battier, one of best defensive forwards in the Conference, if not the nation. "I thought he was their best player last year, even with [now-departed stars Steve] Francis and [Laron] Profit. He was their most consistent, best player. I've got a lot of respect for him. I always look forward to playing against him because he brings out the best in me."
Morris is an almost fairy-tale package of skills, hard work and modesty. He ran away with the preseason Conference Player of the Year award and is a strong All-American candidate. His feathery jump shot, underrated post game and ability to put the ball on the floor have caused rational men like Battier and Wake Forest Coach Dave Odom to draw comparisons to six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen.
But don't ask Morris. He'll never tell you about it.
"I think there's still a lot of things in the post that I can work on," he said. "I have a few moves, but there's still a lot of things to learn."
He doesn't have nearly as much to learn as when he first stepped on campus. Morris committed to the Terps at the beginning of his junior year at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, Md., and made the 50-mile trip southeast to College Park with more than a touch of innocence.
"He never played on any traveling AAU team or anything in the summer," Terrapin Coach Gary Williams said. "When he came to Maryland he was ... just overwhelmed coming on a college campus."
Morris pointed out that he wasn't completely up to speed on the court, either.
"It was a lot of adjustment," the 20-year-old said. "Playing with top competition every night at a high intensity is a lot different than high school. I was behind Laron Profit my freshman year and he guided me and told me a lot of things while he was here. I think over the past few years I've matured a lot and picked up a lot of things."
Morris averaged only 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign, but he grew increasingly comfortable on the perimeter, a foreign land to him throughout his high school career.
Last season, Morris put up 15.3 ppg, led the Terps with 7.1 rpg and blocked more shots than the entire Wake Forest roster, but had to share the spotlight with three senior teammates and the electric Francis, who was chosen second overall in this spring's NBA Draft.
The media recognized him as an honorable mention All-American and made him only the fourth All-ACC first team sophomore in Terrapin history. Valparaiso Coach Homer Drew, who watched Morris bounce his team from the first round of the NCAA Tournament with 18 points and 10 boards, acknowledged that his Crusaders could not control Morris.
Yet sports fans around the country were likely more familiar with Francis, and even Profit, than with Terence Morris. Most people probably couldn't correctly spell his first name.
"The people who really watch our games have always known about Terence and how vital he is to our team," Maryland junior seven-footer Mike Mardesich said. "The recognition is a nice thing, but I don't really think Terence even desires the recognition. He knows he's a good player and he doesn't need a million people telling him, but it's always nice."
Morris said even after watching the media zoo that followed every move Francis made last season, he still is not ready for the attention he now receives.
"It's still funny to me to see my face on a magazine or in a magazine," he said. "I'm enjoying every minute of it. The main thing is to go out there and win as many games as we can."
Victories will not come as easily this year for Maryland and Morris definitely will have to battle extra defensive attention from teams that feel the Terrapins can be shut down by controlling their superstar forward.
But Morris' ascension is just beginning: the NBA awaits. And even if he never sets foot on a basketball court again, Morris always will have that art degree to fall back on.
Read More
Virginia softball drops road rematch against Virginia Tech
By Emory Huffman | 7 hours agoAs Virginia moves through the final week of the regular season, it is certainly critical that its pitching staff maintains the same dominance they have shown throughout the season.
Haunted by 2023 defeat, Virginia gets Notre Dame rematch
By Michael Liebermann | 17 hours agoAgainst a bitter rival, Virginia has an opportunity to forge a victorious new chapter in lacrosse history.
No. 4 women’s tennis makes fourth-ever ACC Championship match, falls to No. 5 North Carolina
By Grace Gould | YesterdayFor the fourth time in its history, No. 4 Virginia women’s tennis made it to the ACC Championship match, defeating No. 28 Notre Dame and No. 23 Florida State en route to its finals appearance.
