Ranking Maryland's Seniors for the 2011-12 Basketball Season

The Maryland Terrapins basketball squad and its fans were shocked Sunday after the Terps were not chosen to compete in the NIT.

After what seemed like a foregone conclusion failed to happen, Maryland declined a bid to the College Basketball Invitational, ending its 17-year postseason streak, the longest in the ACC.

Instead of gearing up for NCAA tournament play, a season with such high expectations ends on the common theme of the season—disappointment.

With the season closed, Maryland instead looks forward to next season, with many questions looming on the horizon for 2011-12.

In the first installment of a four-part series, we take a look at the returning seniors for the 2011-12 season.

1) Sean Mosley

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 11: Sean Mosley #14 of the Maryland Terrapins shoots against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the quarterfinals of the 2011 ACC men's basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2011 in Greensboro, No

Mosley slumped through an ugly junior season that saw his scoring average drop a full two points per game and saw his minutes cut from his excellent sophomore campaign.

If he continues to play inconsistently, like the last few games this season, Mosley could find himself stuck at the end of Gary Williams’ bench for his senior season. On the other hand, with a walk-on and junior college transfer as the only other seniors behind him, Mosley is going to be leaned on as Maryland’s key senior, especially for leadership.

He may not be the scoring threat Maryland fans had envisioned, but he’s still a capable defender and decent scorer—he showed flashes of scoring ability against Illinois (14 points) and Georgia Tech (15 points).

He’ll be a good reserve for a more experienced Maryland squad next year, but some combination of Terrell Stoglin, Pe’Shon Howard and Nick Faust should get the starting role over him.

2) Berend Weijs

Photo by AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

Weijs, a 6'10" junior college transfer, played limited, sporadic minutes this season off the bench for the Terps. He showed flashes of potential in blowouts, scoring seven points in 13 minutes against UNC-Greensboro and grabbing five rebounds against Longwood.

Weijs’ role next year could be as a larger role player off the bench, but he won’t be a key reserve like Mosley. With Jordan Williams at center and new commit Martin Breunig presumed to take over the four spot, Weijs probably falls behind sophomore James Padgett and redshirt Ashton Pankey in the pecking order.

However, if he displays a good scoring touch in Maryland’s early basketball schedule like he did this season—Weijs shot 58 percent on 20 of 34 shooting—he could elevate himself above those two.

3) Ersin Levent

Photo by InsideMarylandSports

Levent, a local Maryland high school player, walked on the Terps squad before his sophomore year. Since then, he’s played 43 minutes over two seasons, scoring eight points.

Aside from entering the game in late-game blowouts, don’t expect to see much of Levent, at least not until the senior game next season.