Coming off one of the worst defeats in what has been an exceedingly frustrating season, Maryland Coach Gary Williams yesterday chose not to respond to comments made by his star player, John Gilchrist, who cited "behind-the-scenes" issues and "outside factors" as reasons for the team's inconsistency.
"We're fighting things we can't even see," Gilchrist said after Clemson beat Maryland on Tuesday for the second time this month. "You can look at someone [teammates] and be like, 'What's wrong?' You can just tell. Everybody has things that should be wiped away when you step on the basketball floor, but it's kind of getting carried over this year."
Gilchrist's play, as well as his comments and on-court demeanor, have varied wildly this season, but his value to the team is undisputed. Last season Gilchrist led Maryland to its first ACC tournament title in 20 years, earning the tournament's MVP award.
Gilchrist said after Tuesday's loss that some players are dealing with personal issues that the media and fans do not know about, although he said he is not dealing with any himself and declined to provide specifics. "There are a lot of things in everybody's lives that the public shouldn't know," he said.
Asked if the game has become less fun, Gilchrist said: "I've slept with a ball since all the way until last year at times. When you look at the game like it's your love, when you look at it like you're having fun, you look at it with that same child-like mentality. When it starts to turn into a job, that's when it gets difficult because you get the ups and downs and the emotions of it. That's when it becomes less fun."
Williams declined an interview request yesterday to clarify Gilchrist's comments. But the frustration within the Maryland program is palpable.
The Terps (16-9, 7-7 ACC) have swept Duke -- two of the Blue Devils' four losses in ACC play -- and have been swept by Clemson and North Carolina State, two teams that are a combined 4-18 against league opponents other than Maryland. Gilchrist spoke at length about the team's issues minutes after Williams told the media that he has not encountered a team this inconsistent during his 37 years in coaching.
Gilchrist has endured a trying season in which he has tried to find a balance between scoring and playing more of a setup role, as Williams requested. Gilchrist said he no longer concerns himself with critiquing his overall performance because the scrutiny has magnified and he wants to instead focus on team goals.
"That's the toughest part, just trying to put a straight mask on," he said. "I've tried to do that all year, whether feeling up and down; I just try to put on a positive face, put on that mask. That's how you have to be."
It hasn't been easy. In the Jan. 11 loss at Wake Forest, Gilchrist played just nine minutes, looking as if he was in a daze. Williams attributed his lack of playing time to an injury, but Gilchrist said he was healthy enough to compete.
The dynamic between Williams and Gilchrist has taken many abrupt turns throughout the season. After Gilchrist's performance in a Feb. 12 overtime victory, in which he was one assist shy of a triple-double, Williams became choked up during his postgame news conference when discussing his point guard.
Gilchrist and his parents said in interviews before the season that they have been approached frequently by outsiders -- agents and others -- who speak of Gilchrist's NBA draft stock. Williams said in mid-January, "People put a lot of pressure on kids now -- people outside the program."
Gilchrist has repeatedly said that he has been on winning teams his whole life, and those teams have a certain swagger to them. On Tuesday, he stopped short of saying this Maryland team lacks that swagger, but he acknowledged that pressure to win has been mounting.
"I don't know how everybody else feels, but it's just a game," he said. "It always should be a fun thing. It's not like you walk out on the floor and it's like, 'I must win this game' or 'We need to go to the NCAA tournament.' Putting all this pressure on it, it's downright silly, in my opinion."
Gilchrist said there is a primary difference between this team and other winning teams he has been on throughout his career. In the past, he said, players cared so much about each other that if teammates criticized one another, the words would have a profound impact on the player. This season, he said, criticism "gets taken the wrong way sometimes," adding, "You can't put a mentality in someone. . . . I think everyone is a little sensitive of having things said to them."
The defeat put the Terps' chances of reaching a 12th straight NCAA tournament in jeopardy. Maryland likely will have to win at least one more game -- either one of the two remaining regular season games or games in the ACC tournament -- to feel comfortable about earning an at-large bid.
"Sometimes it's kind of tough when you have a lot of outside factors going on," Gilchrist said. "There is just a lot of stuff going on right now, a lot of stuff behind the scenes, and we're just trying to make everything right."
Terrapins Notes: Maryland's Ratings Percentage Index dropped from 22 to 32. The RPI is a measurement of a team's strength used to help determine seeds and berths for the NCAA tournament.
