By Gregg Cobert, on June 23rd, 2011  In his sophomore year at Maryland, Williams took on a much larger role with the team becoming the primary option as he averaged 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds. During the offseason from his freshman to sophomore year, he lost 25 pounds to get in better shape for the upcoming year and it showed on the court. There are a lot of things to like about Jordan Williams with his post game and rebounding ability but there are also some concerns draft experts have about his game like his lack of athletic ability and his size to play center. As the NBA Draft goes down tonight (ESPN, 7 PM), where can Williams legitimately expect to go?
Peripherals:
6’9 247 lbs
8’11 reach (height with hands straight up)
7′ wingspan READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on May 5th, 2011  On Wednesday afternoon, Jordan Williams wrote via Twitter, “Thank you for all the support . . . it really means a lot!! It’s been a dream to play in the NBA and now I finally have the opportunity!!” Williams signed with Andy Miller of ASM Sports whose client list includes Kevin Garnett and Chauncey Billups.
“We wish Jordan well as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA,” Coach Gary Williams said in a statement released by the school.
After hearing the news, i have a mixed reaction. The one area Williams needs to develop is in athleticism to compete in the NBA. However, I am not sure how much more athleticism he will develop with another year at Maryland. On the other hand, this is one of the weakest drafts since 2000 when Kenyon Martin was taken number 1 overall. Due to it being a weaker draft, Williams has a chance to go as a late first round pick when he is really in standard years closer to a second rounder. The difference between a first and second round pick is the fact that the first rounder has a guaranteed contract for two years and a team option for each of the next two years, whereas the second rounder does not have a guaranteed contract. Another thing to weigh is the fact that a lockout in the NBA is looming and could impede development for rookies in the league next year.
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By Jeff Pilson, on March 21st, 2011  Ask most fans of the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team and they will point to lack of talent as the main reason for a disappointing 2010-’11 season. Certainly Jordan Williams performed at an all-ACC level and Terrell Stoglin showed why many were excited when he committed to play for Maryland, but there were few other bright spots. Clearly the Terps and specifically head coach Gary Williams needs to make it happen on the recruiting trail if the Terps are going to be a force in NCAA Tournament play again. It seems like Coach Williams is doing just that.
The Terps are bringing in a strong 3 player class, headlined by Baltimore shooting guard Nick Faust, for 2011 and just last week picked up a verbal commitment from athletic forward Justin Anderson for the class of 2012. Anderson attends nearby Montrose Christian Academy, which also produced recent Terps Greivis Vasquez and Adrian Bowie. Anderson is a powerfully built 6’7″ lefty, who at one point was the #1 player in his class. At this point his is ranked in the top 50 of the class and would need to improve his handle and mid range shot in order to climb into the top 25. Anderson is known for his hard work and his ability to be a leader. It is huge for Maryland to pick-up a commitment from another big-time local talent. Not only that, but Anderson is well known and liked on the AAU circuit by other players. Anderson’s pledge to the Terps could help build momentum and cause other talents to look more closely at Maryland. READ MORE >>>
By Jeff Pilson, on February 28th, 2011 With a chance to notch a signature win, against a ranked opponent, the Maryland Terrapins came up painfully short against the North Carolina Tarheels in Chapel Hill. The Terps needed a win to bolster their NCAA hopes and put them firmly int he mix of “bubble” teams. Now Maryland must win their final two conference games and go on an extended run in the ACC Tournament. In a game that was close for much of the first half, Maryland could not keep up with the size and athleticism of the surging ‘Heels.
Maryland did get strong perfomances from Terrell Stoglin and Jordan Williams, but got little production from their upper classmen. Stoglin set a creer high in leading the Terps with 28 points. Stoglin hit shots from all over the court and had Carolina on their heels (pun) with his quickness. Williams led Maryland with 19 boards, also a career high, and chipped in 16 points and 3 blocks. Despite the production, Williams, who was apparently battling a stomach bug, struggled against the length of the Carolina bigmen. Even with big nights out of Stoglin and Williams, the Terps were no match for North Carolina. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on February 24th, 2011 Last night at the Comcast Center, the Terps picked up a huge home victory over the Florida State Seminoles 78-62. The win puts Maryland (18-10, 7-6) back in the bubble discussion as they picked up their first win over a top 50 RPI school. So if you had February 23 as the day the Terps got their first top 50 RPI victory, you win the prize. The Terps were led by Terrell Stoglin who put in 17 points and came up huge but they had a balanced scoring attack across the board. Jordan Williams had 11 points and 11 boards, Dino Gregory added 14 points and Adrian Bowie had 12. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 31st, 2011 The Terps played another strong road game beating the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 74-63. With the Jackets undermanned in the paint, the Terps made a concerted effort to keep it down low. They outscored Tech 48-30 in the painted area. Jordan Williams led the way with 21 points and 15 boards getting back on track with double-doubles. At the half, the Terps led 35-34 with all their points coming in the paint or at the free throw line. READ MORE >>>
By Clark, on January 28th, 2011 Maryland Guards, especially seniors Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie, had their way with Virginia last night beating them 66 – 44. The young Terps guards, Howard and Stoglin, also contributed well in this decisive win. This was an overall impressive performance by the Terps in evening their ACC record to 3 – 3.
Bowie had a season high 22 points, 4 steals and Tucker chipped in with 13 points, 3 boards. Bowie was one fire in the second half seemingly making everything he put up there. He was making three’s, lay-ups off of steals and with a few jumpers thrown in there, it was a one man scoring show in the second half. Most folks thought this would be the norm for Bowie coming into his senior season, but it hasn’t completely held true so far where he’s had to fight for the starting job with freshmen Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin. Howard and Stoglin continued to impress as well with 9pts/4assts and 7pts/3assts respectively.
Maryland defense was at its best last night misdirecting shots and holding the ‘Hoos to 33 percent shooting. The Terps added 46 percent shooting from threes which is out of the norm, but there is potential from these guards as seen last night. There’s no way they can replace the hot hands of Vasquez and Hayes, but they can hold their own. A key note from last night though was the end of Jordan Williams’ double-double streak. Jordan ended the night on a dismal 2 – 5 shooting amounting to 4 points and 6 boards. That’s certainly not going to help this young team finish the season strong without contributions from him. It was clear though the Cav’s had a game plan around stopping Williams down low.
A few final thoughts from last night. One, The Terps need to get to the line more. Eight attempts is not enough and definitely not enough when they average around 63 percent. Two, Jordan Williams needs to get other guys involved when teams target him. He’s a known presence around the league and teams are going to give a full scouting report on just him so he needs to find other ways to score and be more involved with the offense when he’s bottled up. Finally, the Terps have to out-rebound other teams. They held a 27 – 26 advantage last night, but they need to widen that gap to a plus 10. Keep other teams off the boards and it will kill any rally the opponents have. Next up for the Terps, Georgia Tech Sunday the 30th. Go Terps!
By Gregg Cobert, on January 27th, 2011 The Maryland Terrapins (12-7, 2-3 ACC) travel to the Virginia Cavaliers (11-8, 2-3) to play at John Paul Jones Arena at 7 PM in a crucial ACC clash for both teams. They both come off wins against foes over the weekend (UVA with Georgia Tech and Maryland with Clemson). For Maryland, they need the win to get back to .500 and to climb back into the ACC race and position themselves for the NCAA tournament. If Maryland is a tournament team, this is a team they need to beat even if it is on the road. READ MORE >>>
By Clark, on January 22nd, 2011 Maryland plays a renewed Clemson team, now headed by Brad Brownell of Wright State. Clemson and Maryland have had their battles over the past ten years with the Terps holding a slight 9 – 7 advantage. Clemson and Oliver Purnell have always been that team that has given Gary fits. Hope fully Maryland can avoid a three game losing streak and pull out a quality conference win today.
After last game, look to see Gary shuffle the starting lineup again as the Tucker and Howard starting guards didn’t quite cut it. Maryland looked flat-footed, their shots were flat and they allowed a Tech team to run all over them. I would expect Gary to go back to the Stoglin and Bowie in the starting five. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 21st, 2011 It was another rough night for Terps fans as they watched the Virginia Tech Hokies jump out to a 12-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game and the Hokies led throughout with the final score, 74-57. Erick Green, a sophomore on the Hokies, had a career high 24 points on 12 of 16 shooting. Malcolm Delaney also added 19 points, 7 dimes, 5 boards, and 2 steals for the Hokies. Amongst those 19 points was a totally sic double crossover that pretty much forced Cliff Tucker (one of the best perimeter defenders in the ACC) to go to the hospital to be seen for his broken ankles. The move was silky smooth and breathtaking to see. Virginia Tech (12-5, 3-2 ACC) has now won eight of nine games with the lone defeat last week in Chapel Hill. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 17th, 2011 It was a rough Saturday for Maryland sports as the Terps and Ravens both lost and what is crazy is that both losses looked eerily similar. They both played very well in the first half and had all the momentum. Then, a ten minute stretch in the second half left them trailing and unfortunately they didn’t have the horses to rally and come back. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 10th, 2011 The top ranked Duke Blue Devils (15-0, 2-0 ACC) had to fight to put away Maryland and get the victory 71-64 at home. They were paced by their All-American candidate, Kyle Singler, with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He hit a crucial three with 52.7 seconds left to ice the game for the Blue Devils and give them a 70-62 lead. Earlier in the game with 2:30 left to play Jordan Williams got a bucket and got fouled. He missed the free throw but got the offensive rebound and missed a close in bank shot that kept the lead 65-60 Duke. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 8th, 2011 Maryland travels on the road for the first time in ACC play and they travel to the cream of the ACC, the Duke Blue Devils, who are the number 1 team in the nation and the defending national champions. The game takes place tomorrow night at 8 PM in Durham. Here are five questions going into the game and to keep your eyes on during the game. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on January 5th, 2011 In a final tune up before the ACC season gets rolling in earnest against top ranked Duke on Sunday at Cameron Indoor, Maryland defeated Colgate rather easily 95-40. Maryland went on an early 22-0 run to close any doubt of Colgate hanging around. The Terrapins (10-4) shot 52% from the field and got 12 points, 11 boards, and 3 blocks from Jordan Williams. It was his eighth straight game with a double-double which is four behind the all-time leader Len Elmore who set it back in the 1973-1974 season. READ MORE >>>
By Gregg Cobert, on December 9th, 2010 After a lackluster effort against the Temple Owls, Maryland was able to bounce back in a strong way and defeat North Carolina-Greensboro 99-56 in a tune up before their ACC opener against Boston College this weekend. With the win at Comcast Center, it was their 15th straight in the building. Jordan Williams had 23 points and 13 boards and Terrell Stoglin poured in 18 to help lead the Terps. For Williams, it was his fourth straight double-double and his eighth of the season. The Spartans did not have an answer for him and Maryland took advantage throughout. Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker, the Terps seniors, bounced back after having a rough stretch of games. Tucker finished with 13 points but the thing that stood out was that he took it strong to the paint and it helped to set up his outside shot. As for Bowie, he added 16 points and had the play of the night in my opinion with a block from behind on a break with 15:35 left in the game. The play was a microcosm of the team in terms of their effort, focus and energy that they played with throughout the night.
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