On one play in the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s thrashing of Delaware State on Friday night, forward Landon Milbourne went up for a layup, was fouled and still made the layup.

Later in the game, Milbourne flopped to the floor and was given an on-court view as his layup spun around the cylinder awkwardly, pausing at the back of the rim before falling through the netting.

Still later, Milbourne threw down a powerful dunk despite taking a hard hit from a Delaware State defender under the basket. This time, he landed on his feet.

Twenty-three points, seven rebounds and a 28-point Terp win after Milbourne was announced as the Terps’ starting power forward, his performance left little room to deny that he earned – at least on this night – the adjective in front of his position.

Throughout this season, Terp fans have whined about their team’s lack of a dominant frontcourt. These arguments are generally spun around the lack of a dominant center, the excessive minutes given to flawed players in the post and Milbourne, a natural small forward, being forced to play out of position.

Regardless of your thoughts on the play of Dave Neal and Dino Gregory, it’s time to rethink that final premise.

Milbourne has broken his career high in scoring during each of the Terps’ past two games. And while a depleted George Washington squad and a 2-11 Delaware State team hardly pose the threats of top ACC frontcourts, Milbourne’s aggressive play is a sign of good things to come.

“I think he’s starting to see his opportunities to score, and he’s doing a really good job,” coach Gary Williams said. “He’s settling in and really helping the rest of the team by being able to play that position.”

And the Terps are going to need this kind of sustained effort from the tri-captain if they plan on making the NCAA Tournament. Without that planted center controlling the paint, Williams will need players like Milbourne and guard Greivis Vasquez to pick up the slack with inside scoring and rebounding.

Milbourne isn’t a back-to-the-basket scorer. But one of the strongest assets of this Terp team is its versatility, with each player capable of playing any role in Williams’ patented flex offense. In many ways, the 2008-09 Terps fit the flex better than any Terp squad in recent memory, and Milbourne is perhaps the biggest reason.

“I feel comfortable, no matter what position I’m at,” said Milbourne, who is averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. “It’s just good for me. I feel good no matter what position I’m at. … You can’t get caught up in a number.”

That’s the right attitude for Milbourne at this point, and it’s something he’s going to have to stick with as ACC play approaches. Milbourne should not bog himself down with trying to play power forward against bigger, stronger frontcourt players he’s going to run into, players such as North Carolina’s Deon Thompson or Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu.

If he instead plays his own game, Milbourne should be able to blow by those players on offense and use the strength and peak physical fitness Williams has lauded all season to keep pace with his larger foes on defense.

“I think he’s just quicker than bigger guys,” said teammate Gregory, who often guards Milbourne in practice. “He’s real strong. He’s real active. He never gets tired. So I think that’s his advantage: He’s quicker and better-conditioned than other guys.”

After Friday’s game, Milbourne was the first player in the Terp locker room most of the media swarmed. It’s a status generally reserved for the star, the player every media member needs to interview for their on-deadline story.

Similar to his new position on the court, the soft-spoken Milbourne is still growing into his role as that guy, that key interview. But fellow junior Eric Hayes, who has been in that position occasionally throughout his three years as a Terp, is quick to point out that his teammate is slowly adjusting, and for good reason.

“If he keeps playing the way he is,” the guard said, smiling as he looked as his classmate, “he’s going to have a lot more media coming at him after games.”

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