Jordan Williams has come a long way in his short time at Maryland

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- All Maryland freshman forward Jordan Williams did was slide over along the baseline to double-team North Carolina State forward Tracy Smith. That's it. It's a move every other front-court defender who's played in Maryland's system over the past two decades has been taught to make.

Placed in greater context, though, Williams's action during the second half of Maryland's nine-point win on Feb. 17 against the Wolfpack served as another subtle hint at the rapid progression the first-year player has made since being inserted on the first day into the starting lineup of an otherwise veteran squad that entered the season with high expectations.

The Terrapins ascended to the top of the ACC standings over the past two months in no small part because of the progression of a piece they did not have last year. Listed at 6 feet 10 and 260 pounds, Williams possesses the size to provide Maryland a physical interior presence that creates second-chance opportunities off rebounds and open looks for teammates along the perimeter.

But that size would do Williams and the Terrapins only so much good. It has been the diligent manner in which Williams sought to grasp Maryland's schematic concepts that earned him teamwide praise and leaguewide accolades.

On Friday, second-seeded Maryland will take on Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. On Sunday, the Terrapins will receive what is widely expected to be a high seed in the NCAA tournament. Would Maryland be in such a position were it not for Williams's efforts?

"I don't think so," senior forward Landon Milbourne said. "No, we definitely wouldn't. He wasn't here last year and it's definitely not the same season we had last year."

Indeed, last season the Terrapins played 6-7 Dave Neal at center, and he served primarily as a step-out front-court player, which provided Maryland greater scoring versatility but also hampered its ability to collect rebounds.

This week, Williams was named to the all-ACC rookie team and finished second to Georgia Tech forward Derrick Favors in conference rookie of the year voting. Williams ranked third in the ACC in rebounding (8.3 per game) in conference play.

"His best games have been really good," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said Monday. "He's played really well against some very good teams, but he's had some other games where he just hasn't been able to do those same things. And he should, because maybe those teams weren't quite as good as when he did play great. Hopefully he'll see that and understand what it takes to be a consistent player, and to be a great player you have to do it every night."

That the freshman has performed to the point where his coach is setting such a high bar is indicative of how far he's come in little more than four months. At the season's outset there was some frustration felt among the team's upperclassmen when Jordan Williams struggled to pick up on the nuances of the team's sets. They told him then to only worry about defense and rebounding.

But by mid-February, he had outgrown that role. Of the play Williams made at N.C. State to help junior forward Dino Gregory defend Smith -- an all-ACC second-team honoree -- and eventually force a turnover, Gregory said Williams "would never do anything like that at the beginning of the year."

Williams said he feels he's a "smarter player, if anything" these days, and his responsibilities have increased consequently. As the Terrapins begin postseason play he will serve as a vital element to the team's continued success.

"We weren't really sure what we were going to get from him coming into the year," senior guard Eric Hayes said. "I was expecting just some guy who could rebound and set screens and do those types of things. But he's shown that he's capable of catching it on the block and making a move and scoring. He's definitely transformed his game from the beginning of the year."