Dion Wiley Will Have To Step Up In 2015-2016 For The Maryland Terrapins
By Danny Cox
Name: Dion Wiley #5
University: Maryland
Year: Freshman
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Hometown: Oxon Hill, MD
Position: Guard
The Maryland Terrapins made it to the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament behind the talent of a lot of players. Unfortunately, they were upset by the West Virginia Mountaineers, but it was a season they finished with pride. Now, there are a number of players who will be moving on, but the future is looking extremely bright and one of the reasons is guard Dion Wiley.
Maryland had nine seniors on their roster this last season, and one huge loss will be that of guard/forward Dez Wells. Still, there is a lot of young talent that the Terrapins can count on in the immediate future including Melo Trimble, Jared Nickens, and Wiley.
Before college, Wiley was seen as the number three recruit in the entire state of Maryland by ESPN. He led Potomac High School to the Maryland state title as a senior while averaging 17.6 points per game. During the playoffs, he upped that to 17.9 points while also pulling down 8.3 rebounds and dishing out 6.4 assists per game.
He still had a lot of work to do before college though as he was invited to just about everything imaginable.
Dion Wiley was a two-time First Team Washington Post All-Metro team member while being rated as the 52nd overall player in the entire country.
The Under Armour Elite 24 All-Star Game invited him to play and he also participated in the NBPA top-100 camp while also playing AAU for Team Takeover. The skills and talents of Dion Wiley were being seen by everyone, and he had already decided that the University of Maryland was the place for him.
Wiley said that he actually chose to attend Maryland due to the environment and also the great coaching staff the team had to offer. Before staring his first season, he participated in the Global Sports Academy's 2014 Men's Basketball Goodwill Tour oversees.
As a freshman, Wiley played in all 35 games for the Terrapins and averaged 13.5 minutes per game while scoring 4.1 points per contest. He also had 1.5 rebounds per game in action that wasn't always easy to come by with some other great players on the roster.
There were a number of games this past season where he scored nine points or more, but his career high came in late November. In Wiley's first collegiate start, he ended the game against VMI with 19 points and six rebounds in an impressive showing.
Dion Wiley's three-point shooting and ability to find his way to the basket among much taller players inside, are just two of the reasons that he will be a dangerous player in the future. It's almost a guarantee that he will have much more playing time in 2015-2016, but it's deserved and not just because senior players are leaving.
Maryland has benefited greatly from the addition of Wiley, and he's only going to get better with more playing time and being able to show his full worth.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
