In Maryland’s first basketball practice of the season, Morris looked around the gym and didn’t see phenomenal freshman Steve Francis, shot blocker Obinna Ekezie, point guard Terrell Stokes. Laron Profit, 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list, also couldn’t be found.

Morris did see a team loaded with inexperience. So the 6-foot-9 junior forward dove for the first loose ball he saw, impressing on head coach Gary Williams and the rest of the Terrapins that he’s ready to lead.

“He didn’t do that last year,”Williams said when describing Morris’ new attitude. “Last year, some games he had 10 points, but he wasn’t one of those guys that looked at the stat sheet. We won, he’s happy, like if he had 20.

“This year he has to do more things. He’s got to fill the stat sheet more for us,”Williams added. “That’s his progression, as a junior it’s time to do that when you have that kind of talent.”

Despite Francis’ defection to the NBA and the three graduation losses, Maryland was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year by media members attending the ACCOperation Basketball meeting in Greensboro.

Fourth place is not that much of a stretch. Maryland won a school record 28 games last season and another all-time high of 13 in the ACC. The Terps played in another school-record sixth straight NCAATournament and reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in six years. Once there, however, Maryland collapsed in a loss to St. John’s. Francis announced his decision. Graduation hit.

Time to start over. But not from scratch. Not with Morris leading the way.

“We have some people who have been through it. Hopefully they’ll be our leaders this year,”Williams said. “This year it’s a different situation. Last year we had four starters returning, this year we don’t have much experience in terms of classes, but we do have some guys who have played quite a bit.”

Morris started all 34 games for Maryland last season and led the team in rebounding (7.1 per game), blocked shots (77) and free-throw shooting (82.5 percent). His 15.4 points and 55-percent shooting from the field put him second on the squad, and the big man showed nice touch from the outside, hitting 27-of-76 attempts (35.5 percent) from the 3-point arc.

Despite those lofty numbers and the willingness to lead the Terps, Morris still has some adjustments to make as he approaches stardom.

“It’s still funny to me to see my face in a magazine,”Morris said. “I’m enjoying every minute of it right now. The main thing is to go out there and win as many games as we can this year.”

A freshman and former role players likely will determine how many times Maryland finds success. With Francis gone, the point guard reins have been handed to recruit Steven Blake, a Florida product who finished his prep career at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

“He’s not a Francis. He’s not spectacular,”Williams said. “But the ball gets to the right guy and he’s not afraid to shoot the ball.”

After Morris, Blake will look for four other Terps who saw decent minutes last season. Sophomore Lonny Baxter came on strong when Ekezie went down with a torn ACL. The 6-8, 250-pounder played 15.5 minutes a game with five ACCstarts. He averaged six points and four rebounds a game while shooting 59 percent from the field.

Danny Miller also filled in for Ekezie, as the 6-8 guard/forward played in every game as a freshman and scored in double figures in both of Maryland’s ACCTournament games.

Juan Dixon played an unheralded season as Francis’ backup but averaged seven points a game and hit 37 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Also crucial to Maryland’s success is the resurgence of center Mike Mardesich. The 7-footer averaged five points a game his freshman season but struggled with the Terps in 1998-99, falling to 3.4 points and 35-percent shooting.

“Mike lost his confidence,” Williams said. “We need him to be the player he was in his freshman year.”

Maryland’s success over the past seasons, including last year’s final ranking of fifth in the nation, puts added pressure on this Terrapin team to start strong and challenge in the ACC. That might not be fair to a team losing so much talent, but Williams understands the expectations.

“This team is going to have to earn their way this year. Last year we were ranked fifth in the country preseason, this year we’re not,”Williams said. “This year we’re ranked in the top 25 by some people, but we have to prove we’re that good first.”

Of small consolation are the losses suffered by some of the other top teams in the ACC. When the league season starts in January, Williams thinks his team will be ready.