BOOM.
Jordan Williams.
Check out this Jordan Williams dunk against UNC-Greensboro back in December, courtesy of my wonderful reader Jessica. (Also note Sean Mosley swatting the ball away on defense to get it back so Jordan can dunk. Been awhile since I’ve seen him do anything exciting like that.)
Got another awesome Jordan Williams dunk video? Send it in and get it posted (because you can never have too many fabulous Jordan Williams dunk videos - never).
At the request of one of my favorite Maryland fans (hi Mike!), I give you the Jordan Williams backboard shattering dunk from his high school days in Torrington, CT.
“What’s a Terp?” the hecklers asked.
BOOM. Jordan Williams answered. As he does.
This clip’s a little slow to start but be sure to pay attention starting around :16.
At the :20 mark, there’s an adorable snapshot of Jordan Williams as a high-schooler. That baby face! He looks so young. Say it with me now: Awwwww.
Cut to the actual video, where he looks like a man among boys. And he dunks like one.
Well, with the glass that ends up all over the court, I’d say he dunks more like a stegosaurus among boys but that’s splitting hairs.
Bottom Line: Dude.Is.A.Beast.
Stay tuned for the Keep Jordan Williams Campaign coming soon. And by “campaign,” I mean series of posts, photos and really stellar arguments for why he should give us Terps fans another year. It’ll be worth the wait. Trust me. And while you’re waiting, head on over to the Sports in Stilettos Facebook page & let me know what you think about Jordan Williams’ future at Maryland.
Mike Prada over at SB Nation DC posts an excerpt from an NBADraft.net, quoting Williams’ father as saying “Jordan is testing the waters… but nothing is official, he is considering it but no decision has been made on him staying in the draft.”
So he’s putting his name in, but not (yet) hiring an agent.
That’s not really a surprise. (Although with the new-ish rules, you can only put your name in and subsequently withdraw it once, which means if he comes back, it’s almost certainly for next year only, pending whatever happens with the NBA lockout situation, etc.)
I guess best-case scenario for Terps fans now is for Jordan to hear really, really negative things about his immediate prospects in the NBA. Is it bad if I say my fingers are crossed?
My face may or may not have looked pretty much like this when I logged onto Twitter on my lunch break and saw this friendly little post from (former) Terp Jordan Williams.
In case you missed it, Williams has hired an agent and will remain in the NBA draft.
This is a huge blow to a Maryland team that likely would’ve been much improved next season now that its young stars have some more experience.
It might be a little easier for Terps fans to take (ok, maybe not) if they knew Williams would make an instant impact at the next level. Can’t hate on a guy wanting to get started with his career, but I haven’t read anything that projected him as a first or second-rounder, and from what I saw, he had a bit of room to continue to improve his game in college.
Part of me wants to channel Pete Carroll circa his USC days, when he publicly criticized Mark Sanchez’s decision to go pro after just one season as a starter, and call it a misguided, stubborn, even stupid decision. (Maryland coach Gary Williams has said in the past Jordan should maybe think about staying, so maybe that’s why Jordan initially made the announcement via his Twitter page, rather than formally through the school.)
Still, another part of me knows I should say “Good for him.” It’s a lot easier to be excited about it when you look at the situation not in terms of Maryland losing its best player, but as he’s looking at it: an incredible opportunity to play out his dreams.
With a possible lockout and questions about his potential at the next level, the easy decision would be to stay at Maryland, to continue being a star, to continue being a kid in college. Williams isn’t taking the easy road here, and I have to admire him for that. He knows what his coaches would advise, he’s heard from former teammates and from critics, and he knows all the possible disadvantages of entering the draft this year.
But playing in the NBA is what he really, truly wants, so he’s giving it his best shot anyway.
Think about it: If your lifelong dream was that close to coming true, would you give up a sure thing to take a chance on fulfilling that dream, even if you knew it was a huge risk? That’s a difficult leap to take sometimes, but Jordan’s taking it.
As a Maryland fan who hoped he’d back out of this year’s draft, it’s a bit of a letdown. As someone who knows all to well what it’s like to settle for what’s comfortable, I think it’s awesome that he’s definitely not doing that. Good for him.
No one has any idea how Jordan Williams’ career in the NBA might play out. Maybe he’ll start slow and end up being successful. Maybe he’ll look back on this decision five or ten years down the road and wonder if he should’ve chosen differently.
Whether you agree with his decision or not, whether you think he’s determined or just plain hardheaded, you can’t blame the kid for seizing this opportunity. (Well, you can, and a lot of Maryland fans are, but it’s not going to change anything.)
Maryland was successful before he showed up and the team will be successful after he leaves. It’s really not the end of the world so, Jordan, good luck dude. Wish you the best.
(Photo via The Toy Department |baltimoresun.com)
Congrats to Maryland’s Jordan Williams on being drafted by the New Jersey Nets!
Well. He did go to the Nets. In the second round.
Perhaps “congrats” isn’t really the word I’m looking for, but Sports in Stilettos wishes him the best.
Just for old time’s sake, here’s the clip of his sick dunk in the 2009 Duke game one more time.
*sigh*
