Ayala announces return to Maryland for senior season

Maryland guard Eric Ayala will withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to College Park for his senior season, he announced Tuesday.

“I’m excited to announce I’ll be returning to Maryland for my senior season,” Ayala said in a statement. “I took my time throughout this process and am appreciative of the feedback I received. I can’t wait to get to work with our team and play in front of the best fans in the country once again!”

A three-year starter, Ayala was the Terps' leading scorer a season ago, averaging 15.1 points per game. He also averaged a team-high 1.2 steals to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.

“I’m proud of Eric for taking his time throughout this process and obtaining the feedback needed to make an informed decision on his future,” said head coach Mark Turgeon. “Eric is one of the top guards in the Big Ten Conference and possesses experience at the highest level of college basketball that can’t be taught. He will earn his degree from a top-notch university and continue to build on his tremendous basketball resume to set himself up for the future.”

The Wilmington, Del., native has helped lead the Terps to a pair of NCAA Tournaments as well as a share of a Big Ten regular season championship in 2020 during a COVID shortened season, scoring a season-high 19 points in the championship-clinching win against Michigan in the season finale.

With the addition of Rhode Island graduate transfer point guard Fatts Russell, Ayala will be able to play more off the ball this upcoming season, while also serving as a backup primary ball handler.

With several key additions and the return of Ayala, the Terps are currently projected to be a top-15 team and could open the season ranked even higher depending on the final decision of fellow junior guard, Aaron Wiggins, who has until July 7 to withdraw from the NBA Draft.