KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- They have spent a good part of their coaching careers in close proximity to each other. Their teams have been known as overachievers, their philosophies rooted in defense.

When Gary Williams moved to Potomac a few years ago, he lived no more than five miles from Mike Jarvis, who was coaching at George Washington. They even had the same agent negotiate one of their contracts.

"I wouldn't call it a blood rivalry," said Rob Ades, the Washington attorney who has represented both Williams and Jarvis at different stages of their careers. "Wherever Mike has been, he has taken a back seat to Gary."

Or as Jarvis said yesterday, "I've always wanted to get where Gary is. I still am."

Williams and Jarvis are now trying to get their teams to the same place in the NCAA tournament when second-seeded Maryland plays third-seeded St. John's tonight in the South Regional semifinal here at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Neither coach has ever made it past the Sweet 16.

"How I look at myself and how my wife looks at me has nothing to do with how far we go in the NCAA tournament," said Jarvis. "I don't think God put me on this earth to coach in the Final Four."

Though not social friends despite their closeness in age -- Williams is 54, Jarvis is 52 -- there is a healthy respect between the coaches. Both paid their dues before getting their first big-time jobs.

Williams started out as a high school coach in Camden, N.J., and led Woodrow Wilson to the state championship in his first season. He was then an assistant under Tom Davis at Lafayette and Boston College before getting his first head coaching job at American University.

Jarvis started out as a part-time assistant at Northeastern and Harvard while teaching at Rindge & Latin High School in Cambridge, Mass. He then coached at Rindge & Latin, directing players such as Patrick Ewing and former Michigan star Rumeal Robinson before moving up to Boston University.

"Gary Williams is a coach I've always admired," said Jarvis. "I used to bring my teams from Cambridge [at Rindge & Latin] to BC to watch Gary's teams play. You better bring it and your teams better bring it when you face a great coach like that."

Said Williams: "Mike has always done a great job wherever he's been. His teams are very sound defensively."

Their first meeting came after Williams had arrived at Maryland, inheriting a schedule from Bob Wade that included a trip to BU during the 1989-90 season. The Terrapins wound up losing to the Terriers before a small crowd at the Boston Garden.

"I didn't really want to go up there and neither did our players," said Williams. "There were a lot of things going on with our program and the probation that was coming up. Each game was a struggle to concentrate and that was one of them. It was also a big game for BU."

Said Jarvis: "That was just a non-league game in the middle of the winter during a snowstorm. This is a different game."

When Jarvis came to George Washington, he and Williams found themselves sharing the same sideline for what is now called the BB&T; Classic.

Maryland won the first two years and the Colonials won last year, upsetting the Terps the day after Maryland had beaten No. 3 Kansas.

Interestingly, they have rarely recruited the same players. Williams was more interested in Terrell Stokes than in Shawnta Rogers four years ago. Erick Barkley, now a freshman at St. John's, had signed with the Red Storm before Jarvis got there after initially expressing interest in Maryland.

The one player they both wanted was Obinna Ekezie. It was Jarvis who helped bring Ekezie from Nigeria to Worcester (Mass.) Academy six years ago, hoping that he would follow fellow African Yinka Dare to GW.

But George Washington had just recruited Alexander Koul and Ekezie, who was considered a long-term project, wound up signing with Maryland.

"I came here [United States] to go to school, not GW," Ekezie said yesterday. "When I came here, they [GW] stopped recruiting me. They never offered me a scholarship. I had to go out and prove I could play."

The coaching ties Williams has in this regional tournament extend past tonight's game against Jarvis. He coached for several years against Auburn coach Cliff Ellis when Ellis was at Clemson. Ohio State's Jim O'Brien succeeded Williams at Boston College when Williams left for Ohio State. O'Brien went to Ohio State after Williams' successor there, Randy Ayers, was fired two years ago.

Williams joked about O'Brien's career path:

"I just hope he doesn't come to Maryland and try to take my job."

Terps tonight

Opponent: St. John's (27-8)

What: NCAA tournament South Regional semifinal

Site: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.

When: 7: 38 p.m.

TV/Radio: Chs. 13, 9/WBAL (1090 AM)

Seeds: Maryland No. 2, St. John's No. 3

Line: Maryland by 3

Pub Date: 3/18/99