Thank You, Len

Len, 

Congratulations! Finally! You are finally in there, the pinnacle of college sports, the highest honor in college sports! Hall of Fame, baby; well-deserved and well overdue. Most of all, thank you! Thank you.

It was such a treat watching you perform. I grew up loving the Georgetown Hoyas. What can I say, they had the Godfather, John Thompson, Jr. And then, I saw you play the game of basketball. When you hit that game-winner against Chattanooga in the ’83 NCAA Tournament, my life changed, basketball in Prince George’s County, Maryland changed.

Seeing “Len Bias, Northwestern High School” on the TV screen opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know existed, a world where a public-school kid from PG County can shine on the biggest stage. And then, my father took me up the Beltway to see you play in person, in Cole Field House. Oh My God! It was the most captivating experience. It forever changed my passion for the game and my love for the University of Maryland. 

I wanted to be you, exactly you. Every ballplayer I knew wanted to be you. I pretended to be you when I played in pickup games behind Benjamin Stoddert Middle School; I’d say, “Bias,” every time I made a shot or did something sweet, and backpedal real cool just like you did. 

When you brought home the “Chip” and were named MVP of the ’84 ACC Tournament, we were all champions, all of PG County, all of Maryland, all of the “DMV.” We had Maryland Pride!

I wanted to have that kind of impact on the “DMV” because of you. I wanted the kids to pretend to be me someday. I wanted to do exactly what I saw you do, drill big-time shots with the college basketball world watching, and I wanted to do it at Maryland. Goal set!

You won back-to-back Conference Player of the Year awards and our confidence skyrocketed. Kids were hooping at a high level because you were us, and you were being called the best player in the country, so that’s what we needed to be; that’s what WE CAN be. 

I didn’t know a kid from my neighborhood could be drafted into the NBA; I didn’t know how someone reached that elite level and didn’t consider the NBA a possibility for me or anyone from our area. You showed us we can; you showed us it was possible. Thank you.

That game, that swag, that humility with a tenacious competitive spirit was something all of us took notice of. 

You were the “Stretch Four” we clamor for and reminded us that a big man, a power forward, can consistently knock down perimeter jumpers, steal the ball, reverse dunk on a seven-footer, and block a future NBA champion point guard’s shot to seal a historic victory. You showed us the future: 6’8” with range and a smooth off-the-dribble game, and more than enough attitude to dominate the paint and intimidate opponents with an unmatched combination of passion, speed, strength, balance and explosiveness – a world class athlete with an off-the-charts will to win and crazy elevation on a picture-perfect jump shot – an artist.

Now, you’re engrained in us. PG County all day – Go Terps and nobody else! 

Everything about you gave us an invaluable sense of pride in the oh-so competitive “DMV” environment. If you can ball out in the “DMV,” you’re a baller anywhere! That’s how we felt growing up; that’s how we felt wearing Maryland across our chest. 

J. Rhodes, Simpkins and Exree – they felt it in high school and stayed home to build on it. Joe and Booth, and “The Franchise,” and Lonny and Juan, they felt it: Terrapin Pride with Championship DNA. 

That’s you, Len, and it’s part of our fabric.

What you may have accomplished beyond 1986 with the Celtics, in the NBA, and as a 50-year-old former player is for others. You loved Maryland; you made Prince George’s County the home of the best; we played the game with an attitude because of you; “DMV” coaches mentored with an attitude because of you; and now the world knows PG County as a basketball mecca and the home of, arguably, the best basketball player on the planet, Kevin Durant. 

There’s no coincidence.

I am FOREVER grateful for your powerful presence. Like the brilliance of an incredible shooting star that lights up a moonless night, it was over way too fast, but your tremendous impact will last. You will live in my heart, and the hearts of so many, FOREVER. 

We Love You, and we’re so happy your Hall of Fame greatness is being recognized, Class of 2021!

Congratulations, Leonard “Frosty” Bias, TBE.