All hail King James (Gist)

It was quite the reassuring sight to peer underneath the basket and see number 15 on patrol at Comcast Center last night.

After serving his one-game suspension in the Terrapins' win over North Florida on Sunday, senior forward James Gist made a crucial return to the court and played a significant role in his team's nail-biting 70-64 victory.

The rousing welcome Gist received from the relatively sparse crowd during his introduction signaled how vital Gist is, and will remain, to the Terps this season. And when he limped to the bench because of cramps in his calf with just under seven minutes left in the second half, a pronounced hush fell over the otherwise raucous onlookers.

Gist is the only player on the team from three years ago - his freshman season - and to simply denote him as a leader would be an understatement.

"James is one of our two seniors and we need him," coach Gary Williams said. "We need him all over the place. He's obviously a good shooter now and we need those jump shots. We need inside game, rebounds, blocked shots and all those things he can bring to the table."

The Terps' version of "King James" led the team with 12 rebounds and three steals, and with his 16 points, he notched the ninth double-double of his career. His presence under the basket is a tangible force on both ends of the court, and a big play from Gist has the propensity to immediately pull the young Terps out of a rut.

As soon as the Terps won the opening tip, Gist showed why his squad is different with him in the game. He hit a short jump shot on the team's first possession and proceeded to notch seven of the Terps' first 13 points. He even threw a three-pointer into the mix, one of his two on the night.

Then, midway through the first half, the Terps turned the ball over on three straight possessions as Hampton cut the deficit to one. But King James continued his modest reign over the game when he drew a foul as he made a short fadeaway jumper. The Terps used their senior's impetus to go on a 15-6 run and carry a 10-point lead into halftime.

"My whole thing is, when something happens in the game that can change the tempo of the game and can change the way the game is going, it's my job to make sure that it doesn't change our team," Gist said. "I take it upon myself to make sure everybody is still into the game and is still focused so we can just keep pushing."

It's more than just brute strength and basketball smarts that make Gist so invaluable, though. He bolstered his averages in points per game from 6.2 to 8.4 to 12.6 and rebounds per game from 3.9 to 4.8 to 7.2 in his three-year growth under head coach Gary Williams. But his presence on the floor has burgeoned with time as well.

Last night, for example, Gist kept control of his team when referees ejected Hampton coach Kevin Nickelberr from the game for a then-unknown reason and confusion took over on the court. Gist grabbed several of his teammates and pulled them toward the bench.

It was on the same bench he had to watch the final minute and 50 seconds of the game, however, when his cramp flared back up and forced him from the contest. And while the Terps aren't the same team without him, it's also reassuring to see them avoid an upset with Gist sitting out.

"I just felt like I needed to be out there, but the rest of the guys in this locker can make big plays at any point in the game and help us out," Gist said. "We've got a great team, and I'm proud of these guys."

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