Home-grown talents Steve Francis and Terence Morris were recognized for their massive contributions to Maryland basketball's season of distinction, as both were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team yesterday.
It is only the second time in the program's history that the Terps had two players honored on the first team -- Len Elmore and John Lucas were selected in 1974.
In balloting conducted by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association, Francis and Morris were joined on the first team by Duke's Elton Brand and Trajan Langdon, and North Carolina's Ademola Okulaja. Maryland senior forward Laron Profit was named to the third team, and senior point guard Terrell Stokes received honorable mention.
"It is an accomplishment and a step forward for our team, and for Terence and me," Francis told a school spokesman.
Two seasons ago, neither Francis nor Morris was with the Terps, who will take a No. 5 national ranking and the second seed into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday. Maryland (25-4, 13-3) was the second-best team in the conference regular season, behind only No. 1 Duke.
Francis played only one season of high school basketball at Blair High in Montgomery County, but led a pair of junior college teams to unbeaten regular seasons before he came to Maryland. He was one of the most hyped players ever to come to College Park, and the 6-foot-3 junior guard did nothing to disappoint.
Francis led the ACC in steals (2.9) and ranked among the leaders in four other categories: scoring, 16.6 points per game (eighth); assists, 4.7 (seventh); field-goal percentage, .521 (third); and free-throw percentage, .802 (seventh). He also leads the Terps in minutes played (30.6).
Morris, a 6-9 sophomore forward, was an early recruiting prize out of Thomas Johnson High in Frederick.
He didn't start for the Terps as a freshman, but blossomed into an all-around force who also was among the conference leaders in five categories: scoring, 15.8 (10th); rebounding, 7.1 (eighth); blocks, 2.3 (fourth); field-goal percentage, .580 (second); and free-throw percentage, .836 (fourth).
"I didn't think it would happen to me this season," Morris said of being All-ACC. "It gets your confidence up going into the postseason, knowing people out there know how well we can play. To get an honor like this in my sophomore year, is something that makes you set your goals higher."
"This is a great occasion for us," coach Gary Williams said. "It's great to see our players get recognized, but even better is that our players are happy for the other ones who made it. They all realize that each player made a contribution to whatever individual honor any player on this team receives."
(Complete voting, Page 8D)
Pub Date: 3/02/99