Returning to College Park always brings back many memories for Maryland men’s basketball legend Buck Williams, who was recently named a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Williams, 65, was back on campus this past weekend for Alumni Day, meeting fans and signing autographs before Maryland’s 64-60 win against Washington. He said the chance to come back to his alma mater still carries a lot of significance.
“Well, I get flooded with memories for coach [Lefty] Driesell, all my former teammates and just playing in Cole Field House, and just the excitement around the program, around the games. It was a very special place,” Williams said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 19. “I hope we can recapture some of that, what we had years ago.”
Williams played for Maryland from 1978-1981 and sits fifth on the program’s all-time rebounding list (928). He went on to play more than 1,300 games in the NBA, averaging 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds across 17 seasons. He finished with more than 16,000 points and 13,000 rebounds after playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks.
Williams was recently announced as one 21 finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The class will be officially announced on April 4 at noon.
For Williams, this honor would be more than just a personal milestone. He would be the first Maryland alumnus to go into the Hall as a player.
“That means the world to me,” he said.
Williams said the moment would be more about those who helped him through the journey.
“It would be about them, my family, my friends and guys I played with, really — I mean, really it’s not even about me,” he said.
Williams tries not focus on individual recognition.
“Humility is something that my parents taught me. I’m not one to self-promote,” Williams said. “I think a lot of times if you’re a self-promoter sometimes you can get to the front of the line a little faster. … I’m a team player. I rebound the ball. I give the other guys the ball to score.”
Williams still believes, however, that his career achievements support his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
“My numbers don’t lie. I knew my numbers would stack up against pretty much most of the guys that are Hall of Famers,” he said.
Williams, one of the most accomplished players in Maryland history, also discussed the current state of the program and how former players could help strengthen it. He mentioned that the program’s success in the past has been tied to coaches Lefty Driesell and Gary Williams but also the players themselves.
“I think over the years, Lefty was such a huge figure. He was Maryland basketball,” Buck Williams said. “Even though he had great players, so much of what happened in the history of the game was around Lefty. … Lefty did a lot for the university and so did Gary, but at the same time, it was those players that came in to establish this program.”
Williams said he thinks that former stars should become more involved to help improve the program and that strong alumni involvement could make a huge impact.
“That’s how you build a winning program, is that you’ve got to have players involved in the program,” he said.
For more from Williams, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics