Jordan Williams and the Next Great Terp

I started writing this still a little hungover from that heartbreaking loss. This has got me (inevitably) thinking about the future and what MD basketball means to myself and the community at large. Let us begin with our fears and uncertainties about the next two (and my last two) years of Maryland basketball. We won't ever have another Vasquez but we can have new great ones that we will talk about for years and years after. What is the future of Maryland basketball and which players can take us to the level they failed to attain this year? Let's take a look.

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First, and foremost, the big man in the middle. Jordan Williams. Our team will have to run through his post-moves and his progression into a dominant big man along the lines of Sean May. Certainly they have had similar Freshman years: May average 11.4 PPG and 8.1 RPG and Jordan has averaged 9.6 PPG and 8.6 RPG. Both had question marks coming into college; May was viewed as a slow, fat, unathletic post player who was getting by on his pedigree. Surely Jordan has had those same concerns: at times he looks a little pudgy and not very defined muscularly. But, May turned himself into the premier post player in the nation and by his junior season he was averaging 17 and 10 and led his team to a national title. But he didn't do it all himself.

Raymond Felton was named All-ACC his junior year and was named won the Cousey Award for the best PG in the nation. See, while researching for this fan post, I noticed how great teams never relied on just one player. For every May there is a Felton. For every Hansborough there is a Lawson. For every Joakim Noah there is an Al Horford. We should all be happy that we have such a bright budding star in Jordan Williams. If we want Maryland basketball to return to the glory days, we need to find a Scottie Pippen for Jordan Williams. Who will it be? Let's look at some current and future players to see who can properly compliment Williams.

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Sugar Sean Mosley. He came into town as Baltimore's all-time leading scorer in a city with a rich history of basketball (Sam Cassell, Carmelo Anthony, etc.) and immediately started due to his defensive prowess. But there was one problem; he couldn't shoot. He couldn't shoot and he couldn't make a layup. But lo and behold, he wows us in the first 10 games of the season this year with an immensely improved mid range jumper as well as improved free throw shooting. Unfortunately, his level of play fell off during ACC play. Was this due to the re-emergence of Vasquez after his slow start or was it the level of competition? I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that Sugar Sean has shown the desire and will to make himself better. He has already doubled his PPG from 5.1 to 10 from his freshman to sophomore seasons. And he does have unparalleled athleticism which should allow him to improve to a point none of us could dream of achieving with the same amount of work. His athleticism should allow him to do anything he puts his mind to, which is encouraging because he has shown a great work ethic from his freshman to sophomore seasons. If he can improve to 13 or 14 PPG next year, he is a legitimate All-ACC 2nd or 3rd team candidate. If he can improve upon that into his senior season, he may become the dual threat that Maryland needs to become dominant again.

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I struggled between Stoglin and Pe'Shon Howard as the next possible great Terp in the 2010 class. I believe that Howard, with his personality and general boisterousness, has a chance to become our new team leader. He is outspoken and will become an instant fan favorite. But does he have the ability to become great? We will see. But I chose Terrell Stoglin instead, a 2010 commitment to Maryland. Rated as a 3-star player, some may be wondering "Really? Our next great one is a 3 star guy?" But let me remind you that the all-time points leader at Maryland was a certain skinny shooting guard who was not very heavily recruited and didn't come into College Park with much fanfare. Stoglin is a scorer, through and through. He can get to the basket and he can shoot. Right now he is averaging 32 PPG with his high-school team. Unfortunately he plays in a rather weak league, so he is not valued very highly in the college basketball community, but they made that mistake last year with Jordan Williams and his Torrington Red Raiders. He proved them all wrong this year and Stoglin can do the same. If he develops his defensive game, he can become a force to be reckoned with in the ACC. He has a chance to be the athletic scoring threat that the Terps haven't had in quite a while.

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Quinn Cook is a 2011 prospect who plays PG. As a Gonzaga Alum, I have a love/hate relationship with DeMatha players. On the one hand, they are a hated rival and often stab daggers into my heart (ie Naji Hibbert hits game winner during WCAC championship last year). But at the same time, they can be relied upon to consistently produce top talent guys who are fundamentally sound and good all-around basketball players. And that is what Quinn is. He can do everything. He can defend, pass, drive, and shoot. He is that good. Right now he is the 20th player overall on Rivals. The chances of him coming to Maryland? At this point it's hard to say. Maryland hasn't had great luck with DeMatha players in the past few years but at the same time, he is best friends with Terp commit Pe'Shon Howard and attended the MD Duke game with Howard. If he does come here, he gives us a premier PG along the lines of Ty Lawson. He will allow our offense to open up with his crisp passing, much the way Greivis enhanced our offense with his clever passing. He has all the talent in the world to be the next great Terp. With him and Williams working in tandem, every player around them would be better.

So where does this leave Maryland basketball? Realistically, Gary only has a few more years left in him. Where will Maryland basketball be when he leaves? Well, that really is up to these players. These final recruits will be Gary's final hurrah before he rides off into the sunset. We have the players on the horizon to take this program back to where it needs to be. Will it happen? Who knows. Right now I am looking at the bright side of things, hoping that these players turn out for the best. But when it is all said and done, one of these players may be remembered as the last great Gary Williams player. The last in a long and distinguished line of hard-working, honest, and committed players who we are proud to call Terps. These are just a few of the possibilities but these are not all of the possibilities. The next great Terp could come in anonymously, like Joe Smith, and shock us all.