BLOG: Williams Has Earned His Maryland Honor
The University of Maryland has announced that they will name the Comcast Center basketball court for former men's coach Gary Williams.
Naming the court after Williams is an appropriate honor for a coach who took the program to heights that had never been reached before.
Williams, who retired in May, won a school-record 461 games in 22 seasons as head coach. During his tenure, the Terps won the ACC regular season title, the ACC Tournament and reached back-to-back Final Four's. In 2002, Maryland won the school's only National Championship.
Even though the program has struggled to maintain it's position as an ACC power over the last few seasons, there is no denying the impact that Williams had as a coach in what is usually one of the top conferences in the country.
While it's true that Lefty Driesell put Maryland hoops on the map, Williams took it to another level.
With players like Len Elmore, John Lucas and Len Bias, Lefty turned Maryland into a national power.
Williams made them champions.
Driesell deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments in College Park. And it looks like that will be happening soon.
But naming the Comcast Center court after Williams is the right thing to do.
It is a fitting tribute to the greatest basketball coach in Maryland history.
BH
