Layman saves best for last, makes senior night his own
After fouling out in 19 minutes as a freshman against North Carolina, after missing six of seven shots and all four of his 3-pointers in Maryland's last Atlantic Coast Conference home game as a sophomore against Virginia and after struggling with his shot until the end of last year's game against Michigan, Layman played well at both ends of the floor in an 81-55 win over Illinois on Thursday night at Xfinity Center.
“I'm happy I played well. As long as we got the win, I'm happy,” said Layman, who finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with seven rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot.
“Guys were finding I was open. It was a fun night. … It was awesome. You live for those moments. I'm happy we played well tonight and got the win, and I'm just so happy to be a Terp.”
Said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon: “If I wanted one player to have a good game tonight, I wanted it to be Jake. It couldn't have gone much better.”
It couldn't have started much worse. Layman was called for traveling on Maryland's first possession, then missed two wide-open 3-pointers. He finished the first half with as many turnovers as points (three of each).
“It was surreal at the beginning,” Layman said of his final home game, which began with a pregame ceremony that included his parents, both of his grandmothers, one of four brothers and one of his cousins there to celebrate. “They've all stuck with me over the past four years so I was happy to have them here.”
But then the 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward did what he has done often in his four-year career. He put on a dominant performance in the second half against the Fighting Illini.
Layman, who has been on a shooting tear his past five games, went 6-for-8 from the field in the second half, making all three of his 3-point shots. It was the continuation of a recent stretch during which Layman has scored in double figures in each of the past five games, averaging 14 points while shooting 27-for-39 from the field, including 10-for-15 on 3-pointers.
The difference Thursday was that Layman played most of the second half back at power forward, where he had his best season as a Terp last year.
“I was just being aggressive,” said Layman, who also had a one-handed dunk on one of fellow senior Rasheed Sulaimon's game-high nine assists. “I was shooting the ball when I was open. Rasheed found me a couple of times. Melo [Trimble] did.”
Layman, the only player left from the Terps' 2012 recruiting class, said much of his success is attributable to Turgeon.
“I think we will carry our relationship for the rest of our lives. We've been through a lot,” Layman said, referring to himself and Turgeon. “I stuck with him and he stuck with me. To see how far the program has gone makes me really happy for him.”
The feeling is mutual for Turgeon.
“He means a lot,” Turgeon said. “Jake's one of my all-time favorites because he stuck with me, he stuck with the program. He grew up liking Maryland basketball, and he stuck with it. He committed to us when we weren't very good. I don't know what we were picked the first year in the ACC, but it wasn't very high. What I'm most proud of is his development as a player.”
Turgeon said Wednesday that Layman came to Maryland as “a specialist” who mostly shot 3-pointers. Helped by the nearly 35 pounds he's put on since his freshman year, as well as the ability to drive and play defense, Layman “took the last step this year.”
“He's become a great player,” Turgeon said.
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