chandler parsons

Maryland senior forward Jake Layman has signed with Chicago-based agent Mark Bartelstein, the player¿s father said Friday.

Jon Givoney, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based college and professional basketball connoisseur whose DraftExpress.com mock draft board is well-respected by NBA scouts and general managers, explained his reasons for putting Maryland's Diamond Stone, Melo Trimble and Jake Layman where he did Thursday, and why Terps Rasheed Sulaimon and Robert Carter Jr. have not yet been mentioned.

Should the Maryland men's basketball team make the quantum leap from surprising Big Ten upstart last winter to national championship contender in the upcoming season, much of the success will be traced to what Kyle Tarp has done with the Terps over the past year.

On their recent media day, some of the Maryland basketball players made like heavyweight boxers, flexing their biceps and striking poses of exaggerated toughness for photographers. But not Jake Layman.