Maryland guard Eric Ayala is following in the footsteps of two of his teammates by declaring for the NBA Draft. Ayala will maintain his college eligibility leaving the possibility to return to Maryland for his senior year next season.
Ayala has progressed in his three seasons at Maryland. He took full advantage of being Maryland’s primary ball handler. As a junior, he led the team with 15.1 points and 1.2 steals. Ayala also added 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 29 games.
His shooting improved as well. He shot a career-best 43.7% from the field and 33.7% from three on 5.8 attempts per game. He also shot 83.1% from the free throw line. That included a perfect night at the line during a Feb. 28 game against Michigan State in which he shot 13-of-13 from the charity stripe.
Eric Ayala becomes the third Maryland Terps player to declare for the NBA Draft this week. Fellow guard Aaron Wiggins declared just before Ayala did on Friday. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Darryl Morsell threw his hat into the NBA Draft on Apr. 5 while also entering the transfer portal.
All three could be gone if they like what they hear from pro scouts and executives. But the trio could also decide to return to Maryland for their senior seasons, fifth for Morsell.
At 6-foot-5, Ayala has ideal size to play in an NBA backcourt. Outside shooting and passing will be at the top of his list of needs of improvement.
