A common complaint from Maryland basketball fans locally throughout the years has been something along the lines of, “Maryland doesn’t even get the best kids from Baltimore.” Whether it’s because players weren’t recruited or because they simply didn’t come, there has been no shortage of high-level basketball players from Charm City who didn’t end up at Maryland.
That doesn’t mean Maryland hasn’t had its share. Two of them are featured in this month’s cover story. Let’s reflect on the history of the Baltimore-College Park pipeline with “The 15 Baltimore-Bred Maryland Men’s Basketball Players.”
Unfortunately, record-keeping from the initial days of the program isn’t ideal. So we set the Bud Millikan era as the cutoff for players to include, with apologies to legends like two-time All-American Louis “Bosey” Berger. As always, this list is not a ranking. It is an alphabetical list of the 15 most prominent Baltimore Terps.
1. Guard Rudy Archer (Southwestern)
Archer transferred in from Allegany Community College and averaged 12.7 points and 5.5 assists per game to help the 1987-88 team reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, that was his only season with the Terps. He was declared academically ineligible the following year.
2. Guard Earl Badu (Saint Frances)
While he scored just four total points in his entire Maryland career, the late Baltimore native was a significant fan favorite on the school’s only national championship team. Two of those points came on an emotional Senior Night in the final minute of the last game ever played at Cole Field House. He received thunderous applause, with even the legendary Kenny “The Jet” Smith (who was working the broadcast for Fox Sports) joining in on the standing ovation.
3. Forward Keith Booth (Dunbar)
The Charm City legend was a double-digit scorer in all four seasons of his career at Maryland (1993-1997). He was a two-time All-ACC selection and a third-team All-American as a senior. He reached the NCAA Tournament all four years, including two trips to the Sweet 16. He remains in the top 10 all-time in Maryland history in points, rebounds and steals. You might have noticed him in “The Last Dance,” as he won an NBA title in his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.
4. Forward Evers Burns (Woodlawn)
Burns played sparingly in his first two seasons at Maryland but when he moved into the starting five as a junior (1991-92), he really took off. He averaged 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds that season, then 18.5 points and 8.9 rebounds as a senior. He would be selected No. 31 overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 1993 NBA Draft.
5. Juan Dixon (Calvert Hall)
While some will forever describe Len Bias as the greatest player in Maryland basketball history, the argument for Dixon is the strongest. The two-time All-American is the only Final Four Most Outstanding Player in school history and added ACC Player of the Year honors in that 2002 season. He’s the all-time leading scorer in program history and has the second-most steals and yeah, he’s Juan Dixon. I don’t feel like you should need any more explanation.
6. Forward Rodney Elliott (Dunbar)
Affectionately known as “Noodles” locally, Elliott had a very solid career at Maryland. In his junior season (1996-97), he averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds off the bench. As a senior, he averaged 15 points and 7.4 rebounds en route to a third-team All-ACC selection as Maryland returned to the Sweet 16.
7. Guard Nick Faust (City)
Faust committed to Maryland before Gary Williams’ retirement but stuck around to play for Mark Turgeon. He was a solid role player as a wing and helped at point guard when the Terps had issues at the position. He averaged 9.3 points per game during his three seasons before transferring to Long Beach State.
8. Center Larry Gibson (Dunbar)
Gibson nearly averaged a double-double for his entire four-year career at Maryland (1975-1979), finishing his career with 11.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He was a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior before being selected in the third round of the NBA Draft by the Bucks.
9. Forward Ernie Graham (Dunbar)
Graham was a critical part of Maryland teams that ultimately returned to the NCAA Tournament in the ’80s, including a Sweet 16 run in 1980. He was twice named to the All-ACC Tournament team. He set a school record that still stands today when he scored 44 points in a single game against NC State in 1978. He averaged 13.6 points per game throughout his four-year career and was picked by the 76ers in the third round of the 1981 NBA Draft. His son Jonathan (Calvert Hall) later played at Maryland from 2013-2015.
10. Forward Dino Gregory (Mount Saint Joseph)
Gregory was a role player for his first three seasons (which included two trips to the NCAA Tournament) and gained a reputation for playing solid defense. He moved into the starting five as a senior in 2010-11, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.
11. Guard Darryl Morsell (Mount Saint Joseph)
Morsell may be one of the more underappreciated Maryland players of the modern era. He became just the 17th player in school history to make 100 starts and tally 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He was a two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection and the 2020-21 Big Ten Defensive Player of the year. His most memorable moment as a Terp came when he hit a game-winning three with 1.9 seconds left to cap a 16-point comeback in a road win at Minnesota to help Maryland win a share of the Big Ten regular-season title in 2020.
12. Guard Sean Mosley (Saint Frances)
One of the most prolific scorers in the state’s high school basketball history, Mosley might have never reached his star potential but was a very good role player. He averaged double-digit scoring as a sophomore (2009-10) and senior (2011-12) and took on a key leadership role in the program’s transition from Gary Williams to Mark Turgeon.
13. Forward Julian Reese (Saint Frances)
As he enters his senior season, our co-cover athlete has been a strong post presence for the program. Reese is a two-time Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection who averaged 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks last year. Reese and Derik Queen could make up one of the best frontcourts in the league, particularly if the former can improve his free-throw percentage this year.
14. Guard Gene Shue (Towson Catholic)
Before a 10-year NBA career that included five All-Star selections (and a 22-year coaching career that included two trips to the NBA Finals, once with his hometown Baltimore Bullets), Shue was one of the great players in Terps history. He was a first-team All-ACC selection in 1954 when he set what was then a school record with 654 points, which is still a top 10 all-time season.
15. Center Jalen Smith (Mount Saint Joseph)
The former McDonald’s High School All-American made an immediate impact upon his arrival in College Park. After averaging 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds as a freshman in 2018-19, Smith made it a full double-double average as a sophomore (15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds). The current Chicago Bull was a 36.8 percent shooter from three in the 2019-20 season, helping him become the No. 10 overall pick of the Phoenix Suns in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Other Baltimore-bred Maryland basketball players since 1950 include Will Bowers, Will Clark, Ike Cornish, Braxton Dupree, Mitch Kasoff, Jahnathan Lamothe, Ben Murphy, Kurtis Schultz, Atman Smith, Mike Thibeault and Rodney Walker.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Issue 289: October/November 2024
Originally published Oct. 16, 2024