Passing Duke test sets up 7-footer to be presence vs. Ga. Tech's Schenscher By Jeff Zrebiec Sun Staff Originally published January 30, 2005 COLLEGE PARK - A year ago, Will Bowers felt like he didn't belong. In the Atlantic Coast Conference. With his Maryland teammates. At times, on the basketball court at all. And if there was ever a moment for that feeling to resurface, it was Wednesday night. For the first time since he has been at Maryland, the 7-foot-1, 248-pound sophomore center was in the starting lineup. The Terps were playing second-ranked and undefeated Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the most intimidating venues in sports. The game was on national television and the guy Bowers was assigned to guard (Shelden Williams) is perhaps the best big man in the ACC. "I was very worried," said coach Gary Williams, who informed Bowers he would start in place of Ekene Ibekwe the day before the game. "He hadn't started, and that atmosphere, I've seen it get to really good players. It didn't get to Will." In the first five minutes against the Blue Devils, Bowers, a former All-Metro performer at Archbishop Spalding, had one rebound, a steal and two blocked shots, one coming on a turnaround attempt by Williams. By the time the half ended, he had logged 19 minutes (three short of a career high for a game), grabbed six rebounds (one short of tying a career high), scored four points and established himself as the inside presence that Gary Williams has longed for all season. The performance was another indication of how far Bowers has progressed - since last season, even the beginning of this season. Bowers' emergence, which has coincided with center Hassan Fofana's transfer from Maryland to Loyola last month, has become one of the most popular topics of conversation in College Park these days. "The big difference is I just feel like I belong out there with everybody else," said Bowers, who is averaging 2.1 points and 2.9 rebounds and playing just under 17 minutes a game during the past eight contests. He averaged just over five minutes a game last year and did not play in 13 of the Terps' 32 games. "When I got thrown in last year, people would just jump over me and run around me. And mentally, it's kind of hard to get yourself to believe in the fact that you belong in there when you make a mistake the first minute and you get pulled out. ... I can't blame Coach. I got plenty of opportunity to go in last year and contribute and I didn't do it. This year, I got my opportunity, and I feel like I capitalized on it." Bowers said he expects to start again today as the Terps (12-5, 3-3 in ACC), coming off a huge 75-66 victory over Duke, play host to 22nd-ranked Georgia Tech (12-5, 3-3) at Comcast Center. Suddenly, Maryland has a player who can match up - at least in size - with Yellow Jackets' 7-foot-1, 250-pound senior center Luke Schenscher. A native Australian, Schenscher, who like Bowers, arrived on campus with the reputation of a project, averaged just 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds his sophomore season before emerging late last year, helping Jarrett Jack lead Georgia Tech to the national championship game. Even though Schenscher has been inconsistent this year and gotten blame for some of the Yellow Jackets' struggles, which coach Paul Hewitt hopes ended in Thursday's 102-101 upset of Wake Forest, his development over his career has provided a model that Williams would like Bowers to follow. "I did think of Schenscher when I looked at Will," Williams said. "It's hard because [in high school], he played with [Connecticut freshman] Rudy Gay, really a great player, and Will got no attention. And then he came here ... and he didn't get to play. I told Will, 'Just keep working. Nobody has determined how good you are, how good you are going to be, so just keep working.'" Several Terps have noted how Bowers has been a different player in practice this year than the one who would often brood and sulk after a mistake. "We could see his attitude in practice sometimes, always getting down on himself," said junior forward Travis Garrison. "The way he played against Duke, I think it was a confidence booster. He's giving a lot to the team." Bowers, who has good passing skills for a big man but is still developing inside moves, said he had an epiphany this summer, to focus more on basketball and to work harder. "It has become the major focal point of my life," Bowers said. "When I first got here, I had a lot of things going on, but now, I've settled down, got in a groove and am completely focusing on basketball."