Jordan Williams to keep his name in the draft puts Maryland in a hole

In a move that surprised no one except the most delusional Maryland fans, Jordan Williams officially announced that he would be signing with an agent and keeping his name in the NBA Draft.

Williams is projected to go somewhere in the late first round (is it just me, or does everyone project to go somewhere in the late first round this year?), although he probably still has some improvements to make before he is ready to contribute at the NBA level. Williams did average 16.9 ppg and 11.6 rpg, but much of that was the result of his strength and ability to gain position, especially on the offensive glass. Williams needs better developed post moves and can still stand to shed a couple of pounds of baby fat.

The loss of Williams is disastrous for the Terps.

Maryland has already missed four of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. They didn't even get invited to the NIT last season. And now, after losing three valuable seniors in Cliff Tucker, Adrian Bowie, and Dino Gregory, the Terps will be missing their dominant interior presence.

Maryland may end up having one of the better backcourts in the ACC next season. Sophomores Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin showed the potential to develop into all-league caliber players, particularly Stoglin. Sean Mosley had a bit of a disappointing year as a junior, but he is an experienced and heady player. Throw in freshmen Nick Faust and Sterling Gibbs, and the Terps have some pieces on their perimeter.

The issue is replacing Williams in the paint. James Padgett and Berend Weijs played in just 54 games combined last season, and averaged a combined 5.1 ppg. Beyond that, Maryland has seldom-used senior (Ersin Levent), an even-more-seldomly-used sophomore (Ashton Pankey), and a three-star freshmen.

Whether or not that crew can provide scoring and rebounding on the interior will determine just how far Maryland goes next season.