COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- When he addressed the packed house at Comcast Center at Maryland's Midnight Madness festivities Friday night, Gary Williams said he didn't prepare his comments and spoke off the cuff. It wasn't hard to figure out where his inspiration came from."I'd like to thank all the fans who are here tonight, all across the country, who stayed with us last year,'' he said. "Last year was one of the great experiences I've ever had as a coach.''
Staying with the Terrapins in 2008-09 was a challenge, especially after a contentious midseason stretch that featured a surprise home loss to Morgan State, a 41-point humiliation at Duke, Williams' public feud with athletic department officials, and an impromptu appearance at a subsequent Williams press conference by athletic director Debbie Yow so she could give him a vote of confidence.
But the reward was great: Maryland reversed direction, defeated eventual national champion North Carolina, upset Wake Forest on the way to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament to cap a 21-14 season that was more satisfying to Williams than the record would indicate.
Throughout the final weeks and the postseason run, Williams circled the wagons, instilled a us-versus-them mentality and pulled off a coaching job that ranks with his 2002 national championship, considering the hole his team climbed from.
As toned-down as the event was this year compared to past extravaganzas -- no Gary Williams look-a-like contests, no dance routines by players, no theatrical entrance by the coach, who once rode in on a motorcycle -- Friday was a night to celebrate that improbable turnaround and to acknowledge expectations for more. It was the debut in uniform for the Terps' two highly-touted freshman inside players, 6-8 James Padgett of Brooklyn and 6-10 Jordan Williams of Torrington, Conn.
Besides being blue-chippers who fill a major need and could potentially vault the Terps into the national rankings, they are the answers to the tough questions Gary Williams has faced in recent years, when critics of the team zeroed in on his recruiting as the reason it missed the NCAA tournament three times in four years before last season.
Padgett and Williams received loud welcomes from the fans on hand, although the biggest cheers were for senior all-ACC guard Greivis Vasquez, who spoke to the crowd and echoed his coach's promise that "nobody will work harder than us.''
Added Gary Williams -- who gave his customary fist-pump to the crowd that chanted his name as he took the floor -- "People ask us if the high expectations worry you. We want high expectations. Bring them on. We'll take those expectations and go play.''
Besides the additions of the two post players, Williams was also buoyed last month by an additional year added to his contract after he met performance and academic incentives, locking him in through the 2012-13 season -- when he would turn 68 and complete his 24th season coaching at his alma mater. He also pointed with pride, in his on-court remarks, to Maryland being ranked as the ninth-best program in college basketball in the past decade by Lindy's magazine.
Maryland's regular season opener is against Charleston Southern Nov. 13 at Comcast Center. The Terps play in the Maui Invitational the week of Thanksgiving and meet Indiana and Villanova in non-conference games before their ACC opener against Florida State at home Jan. 10.
