FSU and Maryland each has a key player from a state not known as a basketball hotbed.
By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published December 19, 2004
Florida State freshman guard Ralph Mims and Maryland junior forward Nik Caner-Medley will do more in tonight's ACC opener for both than simply remember their showdowns in high school.
Their presence together on the Comcast Center floor in College Park will help them, and the rest of us, remember Maine.
Yes, Maine.
You just don't find many former Maine prep stars at major college programs, let alone a pair in the same game.
"It's definitely different," Caner-Medley said.
It may be unprecedented.
"It's a very unique situation," said Dave Tellup, a national recruiting analyst with scout.com. "It's not like they're (big-time players) just lining up in Maine and everybody should go there to see what's going on. We're not ready to shut down New York yet."
You don't have to tell Caner-Medley or Mims that. Both had stellar prep careers only to find that to many college coaches, their resumes carried a dreaded asterisk:
* Good stats, weak competition.
"I think a lot of people thought that; I'm not going to sugarcoat it," said Mims, a Pensacola native whose parents moved to Maine when he was in eighth grade.
"Nobody came to Maine to see me play, that's for sure," Caner-Medley echoed.
Not even Terrapins coach Gary Williams, who had a teammate from Maine during his playing days at Maryland. He spotted Caner-Medley on the AAU circuit in Los Angeles.
"I think a player can be good anywhere if he really works hard," Williams said. "It should be easier if there's a lot of competition around to develop as a player, but you look at somebody like Larry Bird and where he came from (tiny French Lick, Ind.) to get to his level. ... Nowadays, you have a better chance probably to develop even though you might be in a state that's not known as a basketball state because you have the ability to travel in the summertime and play against all the good players."
Caner-Medley first went to California before his junior year at Deering High and did more than develop: He made a statement to himself and college recruiters.
"I didn't know if I could play with those type of players, but I had people around me that gave me confidence and told me I'd be able to do it and that really helped me," he said. "Once I went out there, I knew I could play at that level."
Still, pundits speculated that Maryland was reaching and Caner-Medley might be no more than a reserve. He started as a freshman, and this season the 6-8, 240-pound 21-year-old averages 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds for the No. 23 Terps.
His success certainly inspired Mims, who played against Caner-Medley twice in high school. As a sophomore, Mims scored 31 as his Brunswick High team beat Caner-Medley's team 83-61 in the state Class A championship game.
"By him doing the things he did and getting that scholarship, it really showed me that being in Maine, it doesn't really matter," Mims said.
If you can play, that is.
Mims can.
"Ralph was not a good player because he was running and dunking over everybody," FSU assistant coach Mike Jaskulski said. "Ralph's a highly skilled player."
Jaskulski was one of the few who made the trek to Maine to see him, but then, it was a homecoming of sorts. Jaskulski spent five seasons as an assistant at the University of Maine, and one of his players, Todd Hanson, had moved on to become a coach at Brunswick. Hanson began calling his former coach a few years ago about Mims.
"Florida State loved Ralph Mims more than schools in his area did," Tellup said. (The only northeast school that really went after Mims was Providence.)
Mims, 6-2, 200 pounds, has the ability to play both guard spots and is averaging 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds. Coach Leonard Hamilton continues to rave about him and his potential.
For a 19-year-old from Maine?
You bet, which brings us to today.
"It's indescribable how excited I am to play against Nik again," Mims said with broadening smile. "And for the people of Maine, I think it's exciting to see two so-called Mainers playing against each other. ... We're just trying to show people that Maine has talent."
COACHES: FSU - Leonard Hamilton (38-33, third season; 238-243 overall); Maryland - Gary Williams (320-167, 16th season; 527-295).
NOTABLE: The Seminoles have won two straight on the road (Minnesota and Mississippi), but the road to a third is far more daunting. The Terrapins are loaded with veteran stars, including do-everything junior point guard John Gilchrist (14.4 points, 7.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals), junior guard Chris McCray (14.2 points) and junior forward Nik Caner-Medley (14.1 points). They've also been off a week. FSU, far younger than Maryland, showed signs of buying into Hamilton's philosophy. It looked more intense and assertive Thursday, albeit against South Alabama. Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, will be key. Maryland leads the ACC with an average of 14.7 offensive boards; FSU is last at 10.4. The Terps lead the series 23-7, but FSU beat them 79-75 in both teams' league opener last season. FSU last beat a ranked team on the road Feb. 14, 2001. It upset then-No. 18 Maryland 74-71.
