Rivals150 big man to ACC

Less than a year ago, Jordan Williams never would have thought he would have been telling people he was headed to a high-major basketball program.

The 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man from Torrington (Conn.) High School put a great ending to his recruitment on Monday night as he announced his decision to go to Maryland for college.

The Terrapins were one of the first schools to deploy a coach to see Williams in the summer, when he emerged as one of the top come-out-of-nowhere prospects in the nation. Williams instantly became a must-see player. Maryland head man Gary Williams had a season pass for all of the big man's games and was there from day one.

Williams picked the Terps over St. John's. He said the decision took a long time to come to but in the end, the academic side of things won out.

"It was Maryland's criminal justice system that really was the difference. They have the number one criminal justice program in the country, and that is the area which I have always been interested in," Williams told TerrapinTimes.com, who broke the story.

"You are never sure if basketball is going to work out for you, and so I wanted something to be able to fall back on. I hope when my basketball days are over, I can go into police work or detective work and that can be my career. Maryland was a great fit basketball wise, but the academic side of it was what made the decision for me."

Williams joins New Yorker James Padgett in Maryland's two-man recruiting class.