Jordan Williams had already received the good news via an email from Terps assistant Chuck Driesell to his mother, but the advance notice made it no less sweet to see the official word come in the mail today: Williams, Maryland's highly touted big man recruit for 2009, has been officially been admitted to the University of Maryland.

"It felt great because a lot of people didn't think I could do it. I felt like I had a lot to prove. I knew I would do it but there are always going to be people that doubt you," said Williams, a 6-foot-9-and-a-half, 250-pound power forward rated among the top 100 players in the country by some scouting services.

Williams will enroll at Maryland this summer and plans to study Criminology. After needing to make up a bit of ground as a senior, he's now all set not only by Maryland's admissions standards, but also by NCAA standards.

"Yeah I got my grades and I just got my ACTs. I'm qualified for both," he said.

Williams had a monster season season at Torrington (CT) High, posting a gaudy 36 points and 20 rebounds per game. His team went 21-7 and reached the state championship game. Still, he knows some will continue to question him as a potential impact player in the ACC due to the fact he played less-than-stellar competition in high school.

"Of course. There's always going to be someone hating on you -- or, I don't know if I want to say 'hating,' but doubting you because of some sort of reason. I use it as motivation," he said.

Williams played in the Charm City Challenge this spring along with fellow '09 recruit James Padgett and made all three of his shots but didn't receive a lot of touches.

"I had a really good time. James did really good. I didn't play a lot, but when I did, I think I played well. I wasn't there to post a lot of numbers, I just wanted to have a good time," he said.

Williams expects that during their time at Maryland, Padgett will be the center while Williams will man the 'four' spot. This is contrary to what many might expect -- that the larger Williams would be the center.

"I think it might be the other way because I'm more of [a post scorer] and they might want [me] playing the post and not running the floor as much as the five," he said.

"He's an athletic rebounder. I think we compliment each other well because he has some things I don't. I'm a little bit more of a scorer and he's more of an offensive rebounder, and I'm more of a defensive rebounder," Williams said.

Williams hears from the Terps staff regularly. They called today to congratulate him on being admitted and becoming NCAA qualified, and they recently sent him information on a workout program that focuses on cardio work and a high-protein diet. Williams has a massive frame but knows he must streamline his body and add some muscle in order to be ready for the ACC next season.

"That's the biggest thing for me to work on for the next 11 weeks," he said. "It's a big step" from high school to the ACC.

Williams isn't familiar with recent commitments Terrence Ross and Terrell Stoglin but has heard good things.

"I read about them and it sounds like they're really good," he said.

Williams bonded with Padgett at the Charm City event; the two haven't spoken since, but have texted regularly. They sometimes talk about Padgett's heralded Lincoln (N.Y.) teammate Lance Stephenson, but mostly they discuss their future at Maryland.

"We just talk about the challenges we're going to face together and how we want to work toward a national championship. It probably seems out there for a lot of people but for us it's a realistic goal," he said.

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