The Top 50 Greatest Maryland Basketball Players Of All Time -- In Haiku!

There are more decorated programs in college basketball than the Maryland Terrapins. But few, if any, are more colorful.

One national title. Two Final Fours. 22 tournament appearances. Len Bias. The birthplace of Midnight Madness. Lefty Driesell and “the UCLA of the East.” Ritualized couch burning. The host court when all-black Texas Western defeated all-white Kentucky back in 1966. A crazy eligibility scandal that set the team back years but led to the formation of a program that has remained whistle-clean to this day.

I bet you always wanted to see a list of the top 50 players in this storied program’s history. Well, here you go. And as an added bonus, all my player descriptions are written in haiku form. Yeah, that's right. Why? Well, it’s shorter and easier, for one. But more so, it’s because Maryland basketball and its players are like nature: sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, often chaotic, always unpredictable. Please enjoy.

50. Nik Caner-Medley, power forward, 2002-2006

Like the wounded frog,
his teams fell short of success
Fifteen hundred points

49. Jerrod Mustaf, center, 1988-1990

Had a nose to score
Very strange and sordid life
Left school too early

48. Gary Williams, point guard, 1964-1968

A scrappy point guard
Went on to become a coach
Maybe you know him

47. Ben Coleman, power forward, 1982-1984

Terp for just two years
Over five hundred rebounds
Several years as pro

46. Landon Milbourne, small forward, 2006-2010

Splendid mid-range game
A quiet contributor
Athlete at the rim

45. Exree Hipp, small forward, 1992-1996

Future Globetrotter
Great passing for taller guy
Out with a whimper

44. Jay McMillen, small forward, 1965-1967

Balanced scores and boards
Even 1,300 points
Tom’s older brother

43. Eric Hayes, point guard, 2006-2010

Steady as she goes
Deep shot opened up low post
like lotus blossom

42. Duane Simpkins, point guard, 1992-1996

Natural leadership
Suspended…for parking tix?
Tear drop beat Georgetown

41. Byron Mouton, small forward, 2000-2002

Glue guy for champs
Now runs an AAU team
A box of chocolates

40. Evers Burns, power forward, 1989-1993

Rock-solid banger
Played in untelevised year
Releasing the hounds

(Photo property of TerrapinStats.com)

39. James Gist, small forward/power forward, 2004-2008

Athletic Eeyore
When on, he was tough to stop
Rangier Wilcox

38. D.J. Strawberry, shooting guard, 2003-2007

Lockdown defender
Good player on shaky teams
Lost season to knee

37. Obinna Ekezie, power forward/center, 1995-1999

Rigid as the oak
Then got better every year
Supple as the reed

36. Dutch Morley, point guard, 1979-1982

Set up King and Buck
All-time lists need guy named “Dutch”
Seventh Terp for dimes

35. Al Bunge, center, 1958-1960

Prototype big man
Led Terps to first conference champ
Grabbed 800 boards

34. Rodney Elliott, power forward, 1994-1998

Banger who could shoot
Came on strong as a senior
Made the Sweet 16

33. Drew Nicholas, shooting guard, 1999-2003

The Specialist lives
March Madness buzzer beater
Range like wild oxen

32. Tony Massenburg, power forward/center, 1989-1990

A journeying man
Played for like twenty pro teams
Buckets, boards, baldness

31. John Gilchrist, point guard, 2002-2005

Real good, real selfish
Famed ACC tourney run
oddly squashed momentum

30. Bob Kessler, small forward, 1953-1956

Scored first points at Cole
Career double-double guy
Proud to sport short shorts

29. Laron Profit, small forward, 1995-1999

The alley-oop king
Helped Terps to two Sweet Sixteens
Needed strong jumper

28. Larry Gibson, center, 1976-1979

Defensive presence
Your shot is not accepted
Garbage man in post

27. Terence Morris, power forward, 1997-2001

Mind-bending athlete
Top 20 Terp in five stats
Peaked as a sophomore

26. Mo Howard, shooting guard, 1972-1976

Too bad no three arc
He once shot wing off a fly
A wispy mustache

25. Steve Sheppard, small forward, 1974-1977

They called him the Bear
Shot 50 percent as Terp
Won Olympic gold

(Photo credit: USA Basketball. He's one of the guys in that photo...just not sure which one.)

24. Chris Wilcox, power forward, 2000-2002

Helped champs over hump
Force of nature in the lane
Left school too early

23. Keith Gatlin, point guard, 1983-1988

Smooth operator
What ever happened to him?
Third on assist list

22. Will Hetzel, shooting guard, 1967-1970

Fifth Terp in scoring
Steeped in the counter-culture
A double-threat guy

21. Brad Davis, point guard, 1974-1977

Led team thrice in dimes
In the shadow of Lucas
Fifteen pro seasons

20. Johnny Rhodes, shooting guard, 1992-1996

He was like a glove
Swiped nine steals in a game twice
Helped Terps back to March

19. Steve Francis, shooting guard, 1998-1999

SportsCenter is next
Rise up, and dunk upon you
Sullied chemistry

18. Derrick Lewis, center, 1984-1988

Career blocks leader
Led team once in freaking steals
centers don’t do that

17. Ernest Graham, shooting guard, 1977-1981

Scoring in bunches
Holds single-game points record
which is forty-four

(Photo credit: Chris Ammann/Washington Examiner. Ernest is the one of the right)

16. Greg Manning, shooting guard, 1977-1981

All he did was score
He shot 64 percent
Again, he’s a guard

15. Adrian Branch, small forward, 1981-1985

Bias running mate
A stroke like virgin lagoon
Very unsung guy

14. Buck Williams, center, 1978-1981

He leapt from the gym
and owned that ninny Sampson
Three-time pro all-star

13. Keith Booth, power forward, 1993-1997

Played larger than size
Restarted B-more pipeline
Steady leadership

12. Lonny Baxter, center, 1998-2002

Top six points, boards, blocks
Had crush on my wife in school
Hands of crushed velvet

11. Steve Blake, point guard, 1999-2003

First Terp for assists
Stirred the Final Four waters
The J-Will steal, man

10. Gene Shue, shooting guard, 1952-1954

Best black-and-white Terp
Still third in scoring average
Works now as pro scout

(Photo Credit: The Baltimore Sun)

9. Len Elmore, power forward, 1971-1974

Still top Terp for boards
Lost all-time best college game
Went to Harvard law

8. Albert King, small forward, 1977-1981

The playground legend
Cool, like flip side of pillow
Two-time all-nation

7. Walt Williams, shooting guard/small forward, 1988-1992

They called him Wizard
Signed there when no one else would
Lethal from the deep

6. Tom McMillen, center, 1971-1974

The crafty lefty
Congressman and Rhodes Scholar
Three-time all-nation

5. John Lucas, point guard, 1972-1976

Top six in points, dimes
Led one of program’s best teams
First pick in the draft

4. Greivis Vasquez, point/shooting guard, 2006-2010

The Venezuelan
Second in points and assists
Best point guard in land

3. Joe Smith, center, 1993-1995

Unsung to top pick
40-18 in Durham
Nation’s MVP

2. Len Bias, small forward, 1982-1986

Still resonating
Total basketball package
Just Say No to drugs

1. Juan Dixon, shooting guard, 1998-2002

The champ of the champs
The little warrior that could
Top Terp in scoring