This isn’t how John Gilchrist envisioned his NBA Draft.

A little more than a year after the mercurial guard decided to return to school despite being projected as a lottery pick in the 2004 draft, Gilchrist went undrafted Tuesday night.

Prior to the draft, Gilchrist told The Washington Post he was prepared to play overseas if he was not selected.

But several NBA Draft publications projected Gilchrist to be selected in the second round. Stories were published about his rising stock, and he was even featured on ESPN’s draft promo.

While Gilchrist was considered one of the nation’s top point guards heading into the season, 11 point guards were selected in the draft, including four from the ACC. Wake Forest’s Chris Paul, North Carolina’s Raymond Felton, Georgia Tech’s Jarrett Jack and Duke’s Daniel Ewing were drafted.

Gilchrist was unavailable for comment yesterday and several calls to his agent, Joel Bell, were not returned.

Gilchrist fell out of favor with Terp head coach Gary Williams and his teammates last season because of his erratic behavior on and off the court.

The athletic department didn’t issue a statement announcing Gilchrist’s decision to turn professional. In previous years, the department did make announcements when underclassmen declared for the NBA Draft. There were releases when junior Steve Francis (1999) and sophomore Chris Wilcox (2002) entered the draft.

Athletics Department spokesman Mark Fratto said he felt there was no reason to announce Gilchrist’s decision because “everyone already knew.”

After Gilchrist led the program to its first ACC title in 20 years in 2004, he nearly went professional but decided to return for his junior season.

The turmoil surfaced publicly Jan. 11 when Gilchrist did not start in the Terps’ 81-66 loss at Wake Forest. Williams said Gilchrist was suspended because he missed an academic assignment. Gilchrist played just nine minutes against the Demon Deacons, scoring two points.

A week later, Williams said Gilchrist had “trouble with his identity” after the Terps’ ACC championship run. Williams was quoted in an ESPN.com report saying Gilchrist decided to go professional after his sophomore season but was “talked out of it.”

Gilchrist expressed his disappointment in the team’s mediocre season after a home loss to Clemson Feb. 22. The Terps were swept by the Tigers in the regular season and would later fall to Clemson in the first round of the ACC tournament.

After the stunning loss at Comcast Center, Gilchrist said the Terps were affected by “a lot of things behind the scenes.”

“I don’t know how everybody else views this game of basketball, but it’s just a game. It always should be a fun thing,” he said. “It’s not. You walk out on the floor and you’re like, ‘I must win this game,’ or, ‘We need to go to the NCAA tournament.’ Putting all this pressure on yourself — it’s just outright silly, in my opinion. It’s silly. I just want to play the game of basketball. My momma always told me when you do something and you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re going to do it at your best ability. You can’t put negative energy and negative thoughts into your mind.

“You look at a game like it’s a love, and look at it with that same child-like mentality, and then it starts turning into a job. That’s when it’s difficult. That’s when it becomes less fun.”

Gilchrist’s final game in a Terp uniform came in the first round ACC tournament loss to Clemson. Gilchrist sprained his ankle late in the first half. He tried to return after halftime, but lasted just 36 seconds. He watched all four of the team’s NIT games from the bench before the Terps fell to South Carolina in the semifinals.

At a pre-draft camp, Gilchrist blasted his former teammates in the Post, saying they didn’t match his intensity in practice and were “disrespecting the game” at times last season. He said his teammates “didn’t take him seriously,” his relationship with Williams was nonexistent and the coach expected too much of him.