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Maryland’s leading scorer, third member of Terps’ starting backcourt declares for NBA Draft
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Maryland hoops entered the offseason as a team looking to return a lot of talent for the 2021-22 season, but the Terrapins now face the possibility of losing a third starter from their talented backcourt.
The news started at the beginning of the week when Daryl Morsell, reigning B1G Defensive Player of the Year, announced that he was both entering the transfer portal and declaring for the NBA Draft. However, the four-year starter has not ruled out a return to Maryland but is investigating all his options.
On Friday, second-leading scorer Aaron Wiggins announced he would also be declaring for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent yet to maintain the possibility of returning for his senior season. Wiggins averaged 14.5 points this season.
Friday afternoon, Maryland’s leading scorer Eric Ayala made his announcement, also declaring for the NBA Draft in a post on Instagram. Similar to Morsell and Wiggins, Ayala has opted to maintain his eligibility throughout the process, keeping open a possible return.
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Ayala led the Terrapins with 15.1 points per game while also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The junior also added 1.2 steals in 2020-21.
With the transfer additions of point guard Fatts Russell and big man Qudus Wahab, Maryland was looking to bring back a wealth of talent to start 2021. There is still the possibility the Terps get those key pieces back, but losing them would be a blow to their talent and depth entering the summer.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.