Gary Williams praised Landon Milbourne for being an all-around nice guy after a victory over Florida State on Saturday, but Seminoles forward Uche Echefu likely disagreed with the Maryland coach?s assessment.
Milbourne used the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Echefu as a prop in one of the game?s biggest plays, as the 6-foot-7, 207-pound sophomore forward leaped over him to deliver a powerful, left-handed dunk that was replayed dozens of times on national television the rest of the weekend.
“I took it baseline, and the guy tried to take a charge under the basket,” Milbourne said. “You know, I just finished it off.”
The play, which was judged the nation?s fifth-best of the day by ESPN?s SportsCenter, was the biggest highlight of the Terrapins? 82-72 win in which Maryland rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit.
But more than anything, it was proof Milbourne, who scored a career-high 18 points came on 6-of-9 shooting, has blossomed into a legitimate force for the Terrapins (17-9 overall, 7-4 ACC).
Milbourne entered the season with plenty to overcome. He had an injury-shortened freshman year, in which he played a total of 77 minutes in 16 games, and has spent much of this season adjusting to small forward after playing center in high school.
“I want Landon to be as aggressive as possible on the floor,” Williamssaid. “When Landon is like that, he?s a great basketball player. Landon has had to make the adjustment to playing [small forward]. He was just a force out there, defensively and offensively, for us.”
He got off to a slow start as a sophomore ? failing to reach double-digits in scoring until the Terrapins? eighth game. Be he has responded by scoring in double figures 12 times in 18 games, and his 18 points against the Seminoles (14-12, 3-8) were two shy of his freshman total.
“He?s an athlete. Landon is going to be that X-factor for this team,” senior James Gist said. “I tell him not too many people in this conference, let alone the country, can jump with you. I think he really thought about that on that [dunk], because he really brought the house down.”
Gist said the dunk “sealed the deal” in Maryland?s win, in part because of the reaction it drew from the sellout crowd of 17.950 at Comcast Center.
The native of Roswell, Ga., who averages 8.6 points per game ? 10.4 in ACC play ? has improved his outside shooting so much his 42.5 percentage from outside the arc is best on the team. He?s also fourth on the team in rebounds per game (3.6) and total blocks (22).
But Milbourne?s greatest strength is his scoring. The Terrapins? starters have accounted for 83 percent of the team?s scoring (1,602 of 1,927 points), and on Saturday, the bench produced just five points. Maryland?s reserves are averaging just 8.1 points through 11 conference games.
“It?s huge,” senior Bambale Osby said of Milbourne?s contributions. “A lot of times late in the game, you?re legs get tired. Landon is always fresh, running around and picking us up. It helps us.”
