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The Daily Tar Heel

Terps ?ll hole left by Vasquez

For the past four years, Maryland hasn’t needed to search for a go-to star. But the departure of Greivis Vasquez, last year’s ACC Player of the Year, forced the Terrapins into a hole entering this basketball season.

While that gap may be too big for one player to fill, coach Gary Williams feels two of his returners can combine to play that role.

“This will be a different team,” he said. “But I have two guys returning that really showed how good they were in Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley.”

Sophomore forward Jordan Williams, who is on the preseason top 50 list for the Wooden Award, looks to anchor the frontcourt for a Maryland team that tied for first in the conference last season.

“Jordan is a stud down low,” senior Dino Gregory said. “He’s our bread and butter.”

Gregory joins Jordan Williams in the post to form a duo that looks to counter what the Terrapins lost at the guard spots.
“That gives us two pretty good-sized people who have experience playing in this league now,” Gary Williams said. “These guys can be really strong leaders for us.”

Jordan Williams and Gregory will get the help of Mosley, the team’s returning leading scorer who averaged 10.1 points last season and shot more than 50 percent from the field.

Gary Williams also gladly welcomes freshman Mychal Parker on the wing, a four-star prospect by Rivals.com. Parker’s versatility provides raw skills and athleticism to both the forward and guard slots.

Despite the young talent down low and on the wing for the Terrapins, the big question lies in who will play point guard.
“I can’t tell you yet where we are at the point,” Gary Williams said. “Whatever’s there has got to be enough.”

The expected struggles at point are the main reason for the team’s predicted sixth-place ACC finish. But the Terrapins view the prediction merely as motivation.

“You think people would stop putting us in that situation,” Jordan Williams said. “We’re just going to prove them wrong.

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