COLLEGE PARK - - When the 2008-09 season ended, Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams couldn't help but think ahead to when his undersized team would have enough height to compete "2 feet over the rim."
That time has arrived - or so Williams hopes.
Maryland staged its annual preseason media day at Comcast Center on Thursday and officially welcomed two of last season's missing ingredients - a pair of power forwards.
Freshman Jordan Williams is nearly 6 feet10 and weighs about 260 pounds. His roommate, freshman James Padgett, is 6-8 and weighs about 225.
Maryland was guard-oriented last season by necessity. One of the starting forwards, the now-graduated Dave Neal, was listed at 6-7 but acknowledged that he wasn't that tall. The Terps had no true center who played regularly.
Gary Williams could sometimes mask his team's lack of height. He asked his players to trap and press and clog the lane. On offense, he hoped they would use their quickness to penetrate and kick the ball out or draw fouls.
This season, the coach is hoping for a reinvigorated inside game.
"They expect a lot out of us, not necessarily huge things, but they expect us to contribute right away," said Jordan Williams, who played high school basketball in Connecticut and is perhaps best known for shattering a backboard his senior year. "We have size that we haven't had for a couple years."
Padgett, who is from Brooklyn, N.Y., said part of the reason he came to Maryland was that he felt needed.
"I'm very excited that I get the opportunity to play as soon as possible. My hard work should determine how much I play and the need for bigs should determine how much I play," Padgett said.
Gary Williams said Padgett is "very quick for a guy that size. He reminds me a little of James Gist when James came in here as a freshman."
The coach called Jordan Williams a "very tough inside physical player. He's a physical presence already on that team."
Maryland's returning players were delighted to welcome the freshmen. When the Terps, wearing their white game jerseys, posed for the team picture Thursday, it did not go unnoticed that there seemed to be more bulk in the back row - which is where the big guys always stand.
"We beat Georgia Tech [last season] when they had all these big guys with Dave Neal being our center," senior guard Greivis Vasquez said. "Now we have the tools that we needed. But nothing is guaranteed."
Gary Williams said the Atlantic Coast Conference is marked by parity.
"We have a chance to be a very good basketball team," the coach said. "This year, I think there are more teams at a certain level. You look at 16 games in our schedule in January or February, and there is no lock."
Note:: Senior guard Eric Hayes says he is about 80 percent recovered from turf toe suffered in a pickup game. He hopes to not miss any practice time.
