What #THEY had to say. What I'm saying.

OK. These are some of the statements made #THEY about the Portland Trail Blazers' chances for this just completed NBA season, on front of a shirt and surrounding the #THEY. I have to post this today because I imagine some of #THEY said the same thing about our chances in the 2016 Draft last night.

A Washington Post headline, today, online: Maryland’s Jake Layman selected in second round of NBA draft, headed to the Portland Trail Blazers

Here's the article by Roman Stubbs, under the heading Terrapin Insider which I take it to mean Roman knows Jake 'cause Jake's a Terrapin:

On the perhaps the most significant day of his life, Jake Layman rose out of bed and decided to go golfing with three of his friends at a course outside of Boston. It was a built-in stress reliever from the countdown of the NBA draft, which has essentially been ticking since he was a boy. He tried not to think about the pressure and the thought of his name being called. His girlfriend and Maryland manager Ryan Lumpkin drove up from Maryland for the night, bringing Layman’s two dogs with them to help ease any anxiety that he was feeling.

It all went out the window in the middle of the second round late Thursday night. He received a call from his agent. “It’s a home run,” Layman was told. He replied by simply asking: “What do we got?”

He was then informed that the Portland Trail Blazers were trading up with the Orlando Magic to take Layman at No. 47 overall. Portland sent $1.2 million and a 2019 second round pick for the services of the four-year player from Maryland, who was only encouraged by the fact that the Blazers actively made a move to secure him. Layman didn’t work out for Portland, but he had heard of interest there.

“I’ve watched them play a lot. They shoot a lot of threes. Their offense will fit me well. I think it’s a great fit,”said Layman, who will report to Portland within the next five days. “It definitely gives me a lot of confidence. It shows that they really wanted me, to go through that much work to get me. I think it’s a great time.”

Layman became the second former Maryland player to be involved in a trade after coming off the board Thursday night. Center Diamond Stone went seven picks earlier to the New Orleans and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Layman finished tied with former Maryland star Juan Dixon with 141 career games played over four years, equaling that school record this past season while helping Maryland win 27 games and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 13 years. Maryland had higher aspirations with a roster loaded with professional talent, one that was only bolstered after Layman held off on declaring for the 2015 draft following his junior season.

He vowed to return to College Park and further polish his draft stock while helping lead the Terrapins, and while he didn’t come close to cracking the first round Thursday night, he still recognized a lifelong goal of hearing his name called.

“I was confident that I was going to get picked, no matter what round it was,” Layman said.

Though Layman endured plenty of ups and downs and struggled with his confidence at times while at Maryland, he will also be remembered for his loyalty to Terrapins Coach Mark Turgeon. The Massachusetts native stuck with the program while Maryland lost five transfers in the spring of 2014. Layman averaged 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds as a senior, finishing his career as one of only 12 players in school history with over 1,400 points and 600 rebounds.

Layman was projected as a second-round pick by a number of analysts throughout the spring, when he toured the country to conduct individual workouts with more than half of the league’s teams. Layman has enticed NBA scouts for the past two years with his athleticism and shooting ability — but his primary goal over the past eight weeks was to continue refining his body (he’s up to 210 pounds and hopes to play at 220 in the NBA) and show teams consistency with his confidence.

Layman didn’t speak with reporters until well after midnight, but he still was beaming over being selected. That his former teammate Stone didn’t get drafted until No. 40 overall didn’t add any anxiety, he said, because all he was focused on was being one of the 60 players to hear their name called. He also expressed no regret in returning to school for his senior season and delaying this kind of celebration by a year. He earned his degree and elevated his game he said, and the end result Thursday was well worth the wait.

“It was a great day,” Layman said. “Once I got picked , every one went crazy. It was a great scene.”

I've been on that campus; I've been in their field house. I feel doggone good about this pick. Welcome to Portland, Jake. So proud you finished your degree!