COLLEGE PARK - Nik Caner-Medley was spectacular at one end, Travis Garrison was subtle at the other and Maryland's three other rookies all got substantial looks. Their play gave coach Gary Williams a head start in his mission to fill a new arena with a new rotation.
What could be the Terps' best recruiting class in more than three decades got a crash course at the Comcast Center yesterday in what it takes to win at the elite college level. Applying the same kind of defensive work that beat Indiana in the NCAA tournament final, Maryland disposed of another team from the heartland, as Miami of Ohio made just 29.1 percent of its field-goal attempts and the Terps' winning margin was created off turnovers.
"If you can stop the other team from scoring more than you, you're always going to win," said John Gilchrist, the resolute point guard who will allow Steve Blake to spend large portions of his senior season on the wing. "We've only played one game, and already we know that you've got to grind out a win sometimes."
Gilchrist will take over the point next year. Some Maryland fans want Caner-Medley and Garrison in the starting five now.
Calvin McCall tied his career high with 17 minutes as the starter at small forward. He landed here in 1998 as a scholarship quarterback, and Caner-Medley made like a linebacker in his debut. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound freshman from Portland, Maine, entered in the seventh minute with Maryland up by one, and altered the course of the game by disrupting Miami's motion and patience on three straight possessions.
Tossed into a perimeter trap, Caner-Medley dived on the floor for a steal; rejected Chet Mason and lured the Red Hawks forward into a technical foul; then figured in another turnover. The three stops were at the heart of an 8-0 run.
"Everyone always talks about how nobody from Maine plays hard," Caner-Medley said. "I'm just going to try and play hard every night."
As assertive as he was on defense, Caner-Medley scored one point. Twice he took his unselfishness too far and made an extra pass in the paint. "This is the first time a coach has ever had to tell me to shoot the ball," he said. Conversely, Garrison's presence in the half-court offense was a revelation.
The Terps' first big-time recruit from DeMatha since Duane Simpkins, Garrison played more than Tahj Holden and seemed more assured than the senior forward. Garrison had eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, six rebounds and an assist that was not a freshman play. His feed from the right baseline to junior-college transfer Jamar Smith midway through the second half was a sequence that the coaches will enjoy playing back.
The rookies were not without their stumbles. Chris McCray, the freshman from Fairmont Heights with the Juan Dixon legs and stroke, suffered from stage fright. Smith was reamed out in public for the first time by Williams, who knows that his rotation may take on several looks as the season stretches from autumn to winter and, hopefully, spring.
"This year is one of those things, where guys might get hot and cold as the season goes on," Williams said. "Obviously, the new players are learning something. We didn't have to go through that last year. We were pretty well set by now in terms of who was doing what on the team. We have to keep our eyes open in practice. Last year was easy. This year, you'll have some surprises."