In 1973-74, Maryland's Len Elmore closed the season with 12 consecutive double doubles.
It was a team record that was little-noticed — even by Elmore himself — until sophomore center Jordan Williams came along and collected 11 straight double doubles heading into Thursday night's game against Virginia Tech.
"I never focused on it," Elmore said in an interview Wednesday. "I didn't even know it existed until I heard about Jordan."
On Thursday night, Williams will attempt to tie Elmore's mark as the Terps (11-6, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) try to even their conference mark against the Hokies (11-5, 2-2). Elmore, a broadcaster and chief executive of a national youth basketball organization called iHoops, will be at the game as an analyst for ESPN.
"I'm proud of him," Elmore said.
Williams' streak began on Nov. 26 with 24 points and 13 rebounds against Elon. It has continued through games against Temple (17 points, 11 rebounds), Duke (23 points, 13 rebounds) and Villanova (25 points, 14 rebounds).
"It's definitely an honor to even be put in the category with Mr. Len Elmore," the player said Wednesday. "I'm really humbled by it."
At the same time, he said: "I try not to really get into the stats. You've got to kind of let the game come to you."
When Elmore played in the pre-Internet days, there was much less fan access to comprehensive statistics. These days, players' statistical achievements — and foibles — are widely available and analyzed.
One of the first things Maryland coach Gary Williams did when he received a box score after last week's Wake Forest game was to check if his player had kept the double-double streak alive.
It's not that the coach is infatuated with individual statistics. Rather, he knows that Williams' consistency poses challenges to Maryland's opponents. Stopping him has become defenses' top priority against the Terps.
"I like to see him get a double double every game because that means we're a pretty good team when that happens," the coach said.
Williams, who says he is leaner and better conditioned this season than last, is averaging 19.1 points and 12.5 rebounds during the streak.
His lone bad game was against Wake Forest when he shot 2-for-13 from the floor and told the media afterward: "I'm surprised you guys even want to talk to me." But he still scored in double figures by shooting 9-for-14 from the foul line.
Foul shooting has been a concern. Williams is shooting 51.6 from the line and says he is taking extra shots at practice, but does not believe "drastic" changes are needed in his form. "The more I think about it, it could get worse," he said.
Maryland has also been looking for others to better supplement Williams' scoring. "I still really believe we have the guys to knock down shots," Gary Williams said.
Jordan Williams was recruited from Torrington, Conn. He created Internet buzz in high school when he followed a teammate's missed shot during a road game and dunked the ball so hard that the backboard shattered. Watching from the stands, his mother, Dee, said, her first thought was: "Do we have to pay for that?"
Williams, already a solid NBA prospect, speaks quietly and politely. His off-the-court nature can mask his intensity during games. He talks often about his "competitive nature."
"I like to beat anybody," he said when asked Wednesday about playing against the Hokies. "I don't care who it is."
Virginia Tech is led by senior Malcolm Delaney (Towson Catholic), whose 18.6 points per game is third in the ACC.
Jordan Williams was asked Wednesday about Delaney's comment reported by several media outlets that Maryland "might have the worst fans ever." Two seasons ago, Virginia Tech's Jeff Allen was suspended for one game for making an obscene gesture towards Maryland fans.
"I think we've got the best fans ever," Jordan Williams said Wednesday.
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