Guard Juan Dixon is guarded by Duke guard Jay Williams in the final meeting between the two teams at Cole Field House on Feb. 17, 2002.
After the crowds had cleared from Cole Field House, the Terrapins men’s basketball team’s former home that hosted Maryland Madness on Oct. 18, Terps 2002 All-American guard Juan Dixon raced across the hardwood with one of his young sons chasing in pursuit.
The two laughed when they reached the baseline and before Dixon walked through a tunnel and out of the building, he took another look at the arena in which he became a legend.
Now, the 2002 NCAA Final Four MVP and national champion has a new reason to be on the campus aside from alumni games and footraces.
On Wednesday, the Terps announced the hiring of Dixon as a special assistant to coach Mark Turgeon. Dixon, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with four different teams, has given up playing to begin a coaching career, which begins with this position.
His duties will include advance scouting, film study, keeping track of the team’s academic standing and mentoring the players. During games, he’ll sit behind the bench.
“I wanted to be in a position to give back to kids and that was my main focus to get back into college basketball,” Dixon said. “I wanted to help the kids and help them not only become a better basketball player, but a better person and help prepare them for life.”
Before Dixon got to College Park in the late 1990s, both of his parents died within 16 months of each other from drug-related AIDS. A lightly recruited guard from Baltimore, Dixon surpassed expectations to become an All-American and a first-round draft pick.
So he thinks he has something to offer the Terps.
“Everything they’re experiencing now, I’ve experienced over the years,” Dixon said. “And more.”
Dixon had been asking Turgeon about joining the coaching staff at his alma mater for months, but the Terps’ third-year coach wanted to be sure Dixon was through playing and didn’t want to try to find a job in the NBA.
Several weeks ago, Turgeon decided that Dixon would be completely committed to the Terps, and the official announcement finally came on Wednesday. Dixon is expected to start in his new role immediately.
“I’m just going to play my role at the University of Maryland, be very loyal and supportive to Coach Turgeon, and try to help him take this program to where he envisions it being,” Dixon said.
It wasn’t easy, however, for the former college superstar to abandon his playing career. He hasn’t played in the NBA since 2009 and struggled during a short stint overseas, but he claims he’s been “playing basketball in his head” for the past three seasons.
“It was tough because basketball has been a part of my life for so many years,” Dixon said. “Going over to the coaching side is an adjustment, but I’m still a big part of the game; it’s still my passion.”
Dixon feels he can aid the Terps on the court but also hopes to help bring new talent to College Park. As a well-known figure from talent-rich Baltimore, Dixon believes his connections could boost the Terps’ recruiting efforts.
“I’m going to take advantage any way I can,” Dixon said. “If I can get a young kid from Baltimore who’s familiar with the University of Maryland and familiar with Juan Dixon in the early 2000s, it’ll be great. If a guy can come on campus and I can say a few words to him, that’s awesome also.”
While he takes over his new role on the Terps coaching staff, Dixon will also spend time on the campus as a student. After Dixon led the Terps to the national championship in 2002, he withdrew from his classes to prepare for the NBA draft.
He hasn’t yet graduated, but Dixon said he is an “exam away” and is taking a family science course to get his degree.
Dixon said the class and his undergraduate degree is important to him because it’s his first chance to execute his new role as a coach by setting an example for the Terps’ student-athletes.
And while his two sons might have their minds filled with races across basketball courts now, Dixon knows a college degree could leave an entirely more important impression.
“You know I have two boys that I’m raising, along with their mother, and I’m trying to set an example for my kids, the kids here at the University of Maryland and our community,” Dixon said. “This is something that I should have gotten out of the way a long time ago. The opportunity is here and I just need to finish my end.”
