Jordan

Chances are Maryland forward Jordan Williams will hear his name called at some point during Thursday night’s NBA draft, though you might already be in bed by the time it happens. The majority of NBA draft experts have Williams, who was named all-ACC first team as a sophomore, pegged as a second-round pick . “Williams was one of the best rebounders in college basketball last season -- but he was a bit on the flabby side. He showed strength and toughness in the paint, but his lack of explosive leaping ability and conditioning were major issues,” wrote ESPN’s Chad Ford, who has Williams ranked as his No. 48 prospect in the 2011 draft . “Williams might be slightly undersized for a center (he measured 6-8 3/4 in socks, 6-10 in shoes at Impact)

Orioles top draft pick Dylan Bundy may be seeking a record-breaking contract, perhaps as high as $30 million, but it won't happen, according to amateur scouting director Joe Jordan . "I don't look to set any records. I don't expect to," Jordan said in a post-draft news conference at Camden Yards on Friday. "And expectations on their side are pretty good right now, but that's OK. I mean, he is a talented kid and we will work through it and see where it goes. " Jordan said Bundy, an Oklahoma high school right-hander taken fourth overall Monday, was not No. 1 on the club's drafting board but was close to the top. The hard-throwing 18-year-old is not alone in his lofty demands — and Jordan has come to expect that throughout baseball.

The Washington Wizards were one of several teams that Maryland center Jordan Williams has worked out for as he runs the gamut before the June 23 NBA draft, and after Tuesday’s workout at Verizon Center, he said he has a hectic schedule the next couple of weeks as he tries to improve his draft stock. Williams told The Baltimore Sun that he decided to enter the draft after he left College Park in March to attend a basketball camp in Las Vegas. After a few weeks, he was convinced his game was NBA-ready . "I went to the camp with the mindset, 'I think I'm ready, but I know I've got to prove it,’" said Williams, who has dropped 19 pounds.

After a workout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday morning, former Terps big man Jordan Williams said that ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, a Maryland grad, was among those who advised him while he mulled over entering the NBA draft. Van Pelt “was a big factor in helping me make my decision,” Williams said. “Just giving me feedback, what he thought about it. Just trying to make me make the right decision,” Williams told The Washington Post’s Steve Yanda. “He did a great job, and I give him a lot of credit for going out of his way. … He's a really busy guy, so for him to go out of his way to do that is unbelievable .”  If Van Pelt really did steer Williams to the pros -- even if he was doing it in the player’s best interest -- it won’t go over well with Maryland supporters.

Former Maryland center Jordan Williams arrived at Verizon Center Tuesday with a trim new body (19 pounds lighter), a new position (forward) and an explanation for Terps basketball fans on how and why he left the team after his sophomore season to pursue an NBA career. Williams, wearing a light-blue Washington Wizards practice jersey and navy blue shorts, was among six NBA hopefuls to sweat through a series of drills for Wizards coaches 16 days before the draft. Apparently, it wasn't only the weight that Williams wanted to lose.

Josh Selby wasn't concerned about a potential NBA lockout. He wasn't concerned about the underwhelming, injury-plagued year he had at Kansas. The former Lake Clifton star was dead set on going to the NBA, and he isn't overly concerned with where he lands in the draft so long as he gets selected. "I have a motto — it's not really where you start, it's where you finish," Selby said at the NBA pre-draft camp Thursday. But with a looming lockout inserting uncertainty into this year's draft, where you start is pretty important too, given that first-round contracts provide guaranteed money.

Jimmy Patsos, who spent 13 years under Gary Williams and had just spoken to him Tuesday, didn't see it coming. Neither did former players Johnny Rhodes or Duane Simpkins. And when Fang Mitchell found out Thursday that Williams was retiring after 22 years as Maryland's basketball coach, the Coppin State coach winced. "Oh, no, did he really? I'm upset with that. He's a major loss," Mitchell said. When cell phones, text messages and phone calls delivered Thursday's news, the area's basketball community recoiled in shock and disbelief.

Maryland big man Jordan Williams is leaving College Park. The sophomore more or less confirmed on his Twitter account this afternoon the reports that he has hired an agent and is going pro, something that has been speculated the past several weeks. That’s right, order your Bakersfield Jam jerseys now, folks, because Williams is going to the D-League! Just kidding. Williams is entering the June 23 NBA draft , though I guess a season in the NBA’s Development League isn’t out of the question depending on which team drafts him next month.

Sophomore center Jordan Williams — who led Maryland in rebounding in all but one game last season — signed with an agent and is entering the NBA draft, leaving the Terps with a frontcourt void. Williams' decision was not a surprise. After losing 25 pounds before the season, he averaged 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds and said he believes he is well-positioned for the draft. His draft standing might be improved because the possibility of an NBA lockout next season has influenced other top college players to stay in school.