Moses could have led Terps to promised land

May 15, 2005|by DAVID L. WOODS

Few of you will likely recognize the phrase: "Come with me to the thrilling days of yesteryear ..." That was how the famous Lone Ranger radio program of the late 1930s and early '40s used to start.

While you may not recall that bygone radio show, you must remember the year Charles "Lefty" Driesell lifted his Maryland Terrapins above the long run of John Wooden-coached UCLA teams to nab Maryland's first-ever NCAA basketball championship in April 1974.

Surely you remember that wonderful team of talented, unselfish players - Tom McMillen, John Lucas, Len Elmore, Mo Howard, Tom Roy and that human dynamo of the inside game, Moses Malone.

There was Moses, manchlld of Petersburg, Va. Just to look at him as a young man, as I did several times when he attended Bullets games at the now-demolished Capital Centre, you could sense he was a unique force on a basketball court. It was really very simple: When Lefty added Moses Malone to his already sterling combination of McMillen, Lucas, Elmore, Roy and Howard, it was clear this was a team destined for the not only the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight, but a team destined to emerge undefeated from the Final Four. Moses was the final piece in Lefty's masterpiece team, a certain NCAA winner in 1974.

Pardon me? You say your NCAA handbook claims that North Carolina State won the final NCAA Championship game in 1974, defeating Marquette, 76-64? That cannot be. Lefty's Maryland team won the NIT in 1972, and reached the NCAA's Elite Eight in 1973 without Malone. Surely when Moses was added in 1974, this was the best college basketball team in the U.S., certain to go all the way.

Oh, yes, that's right. Moses Malone never played a game for Maryland. He passed on Maryland for the Utah Stars in the ABA and then played with the ABA's Spirit of St. Louis for a year. Malone then moved to a long career in the NBA with the Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs for the 1994-95 season.

Moses was a dominant professional center for two decades, leading the league in rebounding six times and scoring more than 20 points a game for 11 seasons. He was named Most Valuable Player as he led the 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship. He was all-NBA first team four times and all-NBA second team four times. He was named all-NBA defensive first team once and all-NBA defensive second team once. Moses was truly a legend in his time.

But your book is right. While Lefty Driesell won the recruiting battle of his career by signing Moses Malone, the big man never played a game for Maryland and was one of the few who never seemed to miss collegiate experience. But wouldn't it have been wonderful for Moses, for Lefty, for Maryland, and for all of us if he'd played at least that one season with the Terrapins? Moses might well have proven himself the first "Magic" in college basketball.

"A Voice From The Crowd" is a weekly feature in The Herald-Mail which gives sports fans an opportunity to be a sports columnist. This week's guest columnist, David L. Woods, lives near Hedgesville, W.Va. Comments on his column can be sent to sports@herald-mail.com, If you are interested in becoming a contributor to this column, e-mail Sports Editor Mark Keller at keller@herald-mail.com.

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