COLLEGE PARK - Jordan Williams, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Torrington, Conn., was intent on coming to Maryland. The recruit's parents liked the school, too.
But Leron and Dee Williams were hearing media reports about a rift between coach Gary Williams and athletic director Deborah Yow. They had heard the coach could soon be out.
So the couple went to Yow to determine what was going on. "The toughest part [of the rumors] is who is telling you the truth and how to sift through all this," Leron Williams said.
He said Yow told them Gary Williams would remain. To further assure them, Yow said she would put her claims in writing.
"It [the document] is just saying that Gary and her have a great working relationship and that she wants him there," Leron Williams said. "And it is releasing us [from our commitment] if Gary isn't there, which she doesn't foresee."
The family's concern illustrates how ta high-profile skirmish between a coach and an athletic department can rattle recruits and their families. On Feb. 2, Yow appeared with the coach to voice her support for him and try to end a war of words over why ex-recruits Gus Gilchrist and Tyree Evans didn't end up as Terrapins.
Despite what Yow called "crazy rumors" about the coach's job security, neither Williams nor fellow Terrapins recruit James Padgett say they have issues about coming to Maryland. Padgett heard the reports but said he was unconcerned about them.
Said Dee Williams: "When Jordan was looking at Maryland, it was [said] that Gary didn't have long to be there, that Gary would be fired if they didn't have a successful season. [Assistant] Coach [Chuck] Driesell gave us the athletic director's number, and my husband called her and talked to her."
Yow satisfied the couple's concerns about what they had heard on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.
Both recruits and their families said the decision to attend Maryland - they signed in November - was made with Gary Williams firmly in mind.
"He's a guy able to develop bigs and have a winning program," said Padgett, a 6-8 power forward from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Padgett and Jordan Williams are frequently brought up by Gary Williams when he talks about next season. Asked last month about Maryland's recruiting, the coach quickly replied: "Well, we signed two players that'll be in the top 50 in the country for next year, and I'm looking forward for those coming in here."
