Damonte Dodd showed his character when he didn’t complain after losing his starting job to freshman Diamond Stone late in the preseason, telling Maryland coach Mark Turgeon that it wasn’t that important to be on the court at the beginning of games.
After adjusting slowly to coming off the bench in his team’s first three games, the 6-foot-11 center from Centreville played a key role in Tuesday’s 77-66 win over Illinois State in the semifinals of the Cancun Challenge here at the Hard Rock Resort.
Coming in early after Stone picked up two quick fouls, and later returning after injuring his wrist on a hard fall with 6:06 to play and the Terps still trailing 58-56, Dodd finished with a career-high 13 points and three blocked shots in 20 minutes.