By Kaitlyn Wilson
After a much overdue wait, former Maryland men’s basketball head coach Lefty Driesell is finally headed to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Driesell, who was named to the Hall of Fame March 29, was the only Division I coach who was a finalist this year and was one of 13 selected to the 2018 Class that will be inducted in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 7.
Driesell, 86, made it on his fourth try after receiving 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee.
“If I’d had gotten it 10 years ago … nobody would know who I was,” Driesell said with a laugh during a Glenn Clark Radio interview April 3. “Now people know who I am, so it worked out pretty good.”
During his 17-year tenure at Maryland (1969-1986), Driesell helped bring the Terps back to national prominence. He went 348-159 and won an ACC Tournament Championship in 1984.
Driesell’s time at Maryland wasn’t without its controversy, including the death of Len Bias of a cocaine overdose in 1986, which eventually led to Driesell’s departure. Many believe that’s what has kept Driesell out of the Hall of Fame all this time.
When Driesell retired from coaching during the middle of the 2002-03 season, he ranked fourth in Division I victories with 786.
While Driesell said the wait was “nerve-wracking,” it was certainly worth it.
“I was thinking about all of my players, you know,” Driesell said. “I’ll be in the Hall of Fame for my grandchildren … my great grandchildren. It’s just the biggest honor you can get as a basketball coach.”
Driesell will get to pick someone to introduce him when he’s officially inducted, but he’s not revealing who he has in mind just yet.
“I got an idea who I want, but I haven’t really made a decision right now,” he said.
Driesell’s induction is somewhat bittersweet, as he can’t help but think of who should be in the Hall of Fame with him.
“Leonard Bias would have definitely been in there in my opinion,” Driesell said of the former All-American and second-overall NBA Draft pick. “He was a great, great player. I don’t know if he would have been as good as LeBron James, but he’d be right up there in that same category. It’s just so sad. I think about him all the time.”
For more from Driesell, including his thoughts on who should replace Kevin Anderson as Maryland’s athletic director, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Mitch Stringer/PressBox