NCAA Basketball: Mount Rushmores for the top 25 programs of all-time

Maryland Basketball Mount Rushmore: Len Bias, Gary Williams, Juan Dixon, Steve Blake

Len Bias

Len Bias is one of the most tragic stories in basketball history. A dominant forward for the Maryland Terrapins, Bias was the class of the ACC immediately following Michael Jordan’s departure, winning ACC Player of the Year and being named a consensus All-American in both 1985 and 1986. As a senior in 1986, he averaged 23.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

The 6-9, 210-pounder was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. However, he tragically died of a cocaine overdose less than 48 hours later, leaving him as one of the biggest what-ifs in sports history.

Gary Williams

Gary Williams spent 22 seasons as Maryland’s head coach and now has the court at Xfinity Center named after him, and for good reason. He led the Terps to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and the only two Final Four appearances in school history (2001, 2002), including the national championship in 2002.

His 461 wins at Maryland are the most in program history and his 668 wins in his career are 27th all-time – and four more than John Wooden.

Juan Dixon

Though Bias is generally accepted as the best player in Maryland history, Juan Dixon has a strong case of his own. The 6-3 shooting guard was a three-time All-ACC selection, won ACC Player of the Year as a senior in 2002 and was named a consensus All-American that season as well.

Dixon was the best player on Maryland’s back-to-back Final Four teams and averaged at least 18 points per game over three consecutive seasons, including a career-high 20.4 per game as a senior. He was particularly dominant during Maryland’s title run, averaging 25.8 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, while shooting 56.6 percent from three.

Steve Blake

Steve Blake was the starting point guard and Dixon’s backcourt mate on those Maryland teams that went to back-to-back Final Fours. While not a great scorer, Blake was a phenomenal playmaker (7.0 assists per game for his career, sixth all-time nationally in career assists), lockdown defender, and leader, earning two All-ACC selections.

A second-round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Blake went on to have a 13-year NBA career that included stints with nine different teams.