Sept. 26, 2002

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Final Four MVP Juan Dixon was one of eight former Maryland players named on Thursday to the Atlantic Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary Basketball Team, as announced by Commissioner John Swofford. The 50-member team was voted on by a 120-member blue-ribbon committee that was selected by the league's 50th Anniversary Committee.

Other Terrapins chosen to the team were Len Bias, who was the school's all-time scoring leader until surpassed by Dixon last season; Len Elmore and Tom McMillen who combined to lead the Terps to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1973 and 1975; Albert King, who was the 1980 ACC Player of the Year; John Lucas, the current coach of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers who was a two-sport All-American while at Maryland; Joe Smith, the Terps' two-year star who was the National Player of the Year in 1995; and Buck Williams, a 1981 All-American who was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1982.

North Carolina led all league schools with 12 members on the Golden Anniversary team while Duke was second with 11 honorees. Maryland had eight players selected, followed by Wake Forest (5), Georgia Tech and NC State (4), Virginia (3), Clemson (2) and South Carolina with one. The 50th Anniversary team includes:

** 17 players who earned National Player of the Year honors a total of 22 times.

** 27 players who earned consensus 1st team All-America honors a total of 38 times.

** 18 players who were three-time first-team All-ACC selections.

** 48 players were first round selections in either the annual NBA or ABA draft, including 9 players who were the first overall selection in that year's draft.

** 7 players who earned Academic All-American honors.

Maryland's eight members of the ACC's 50th Anniversary Basketball Team:

Juan Dixon, Maryland (1999-2002)
Consensus All-America selection in 2002 and the Terps' career scoring leader (2,269) ... Led Maryland to its first national championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four ... averaged 25.8 points in the 2002 NCAA Tournament and scored the most points by a player since 1989 ... ACC Player of the Year in 2002 and one of only two Terrapins ever named first-team All-ACC in three consecutive seasons (2000, 2001, 2002) ... Had five steals in the NCAA championship game to finish as Maryland's career leader (333) ... second in ACC history in steals and 12th in NCAA history ... The only player in ACC and NCAA history with over 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 3-point field goals.

Joe Smith, Maryland (1994-1995)
Consensus 1995 National Player of the Year with six selections overall ... Named ACC Player of the Year after his sophomore season in 1995 and first-team All-ACC after his freshman and sophomore campaigns ... Named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1994 ... Taken as the No. 1 selection in the 1995 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, and currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Len Bias, Maryland (1983-1986)
Two-time All-America selection (1985 and 1986) who is Maryland's second-leading career scorer (2,149) ... Twice named the ACC Player of the Year (1985 and 1986) and was the MVP of the 1984 ACC Tournament ... Consensus All-America selection as a senior and the No. 2 pick overall in the 1986 NBA Draft, taken by the Boston Celtics ... Holds two of the school's top five single season scoring totals, and ranks 10th in career rebounds (745) at Maryland.

Buck Williams, Maryland (1979-1981)
Earned All-America honors in 1981 following his junior season ... Currently ranked as the fourth career rebounder on the all-time Maryland charts, behind only Len Elmore, Lonny Baxter and Buck Williams, with 928 total in three seasons ... His 61.5 career field goal percentage still stands as a Maryland record ... Named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1979 and All-ACC from 1980-81 ... Member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team ... Taken as the No. 3 pick in the 1981 NBA draft, and went on to be named the 1982 NBA Rookie of the Year before an 18-year career.

Albert King, Maryland (1978-1981)
Two-time All-America selection (1980 and 1981) that ranks third all-time in Maryland history with 2,058 career points ... Named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP in 1980 and was an All-ACC selection in 1979-80 and 1980-81 ... Was the 10th overall selection in the first round of the 1981 NBA draft and played nine seasons in the league for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets.

John Lucas, Maryland (1973-1976)
All-America selection in 1974-1976 and one of two players in Maryland history (Lucas and Juan Dixon) to be named All-ACC first-team three times (1974-76) ... Ranks fifth all-time at Maryland with 2,015 career points and fourth in assists with 514 ... As a team, the Terps finished ranked No. 8 (1973), No. 4 (1974) and No. 5 (1976) with Lucas at the point ... Taken as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 NBA draft, playing 14 seasons ... currently serving in his third NBA head coaching stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers ... Also earned All-America honors in tennis and was a two-time ACC singles champion.

Len Elmore, Maryland (1972-1974)
Maryland's career rebounding leader (1,053) and a 1974 All-American ... Owns the school record for season rebounding average with 14.7 per game in 1974 ... Three-time All-ACC selection, earning first-team honors in 1974 ... First-round selection of the Washington Bullets in the 1974 NBA draft, but chose to sign with the Indiana Pacers of the ABA ... enjoyed a 10-year pro career between the ABA and NBA ... Upon completion of his pro career, he became the first former professional basketball player to graduate from Harvard Law School ... He is a college basketball analyst with ESPN.

Tom McMillen, Maryland (1972-1974)
A three-time All-American (1972-1974) and a three-time Academic All-American that averaged 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in his three-year career ... Led the Terrapins to the 1972 NIT Championship and was named tournament Most Valuable Player ... Represented the U.S. in the 1972 Olympic Games, helping the squad earn a silver medal ... A first- team All-ACC honoree in 1972 and 1973 ... A Rhodes Scholar that was elected to the U.S. Congress from Maryland's 4th district in 1986.

For complete bios on all 50 members, please visit www.theacc.com. The ACC's 50th Anniversary Basketball team, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

ACC 50th Anniversary Basketball Team