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Maryland Basketball: Top 10 NBA draft picks

By Chris Bengel

Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; A general view of the Cole Field House center court prior to the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Wisconsin Badgers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; A general view of the Cole Field House center court prior to the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Wisconsin Badgers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins flag bearer runs off the court before the during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins flag bearer runs off the court before the during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2 Joe Smith

Another former Terp that was drafted first overall on the countdown? Absolutely. Joe Smith was arguably the most dominant big men in Maryland history. Smith immediately became a star at Maryland as he 19.4 points and 10.7 rebounds during the 1993-94 season. This was a guy that was extremely athletic and relentless on the glass at both ends of the floor.

As a sophomore during the 1994-95 campaign, Smith was even more impressive as he averaged 20.8 points and 10.6 rebounds. For his efforts, the Norfolk native won the Naismith Award, which is annually given to the top player in college basketball.

He scored the most points (708) in the ACC during his sophomore year, which included a dominant performance of 40 points and 18 rebounds against Duke on March 1,1995. Smith also tipped in a shot at the buzzer to give Maryland the 94-92 win.

After a stellar two-year career with the Terps, Smith was selected with the top pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1995 NBA Draft. He was picked ahead of Kevin Garnett, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, and Rasheed Wallace.

Smith proved to be well worth the selection early in his career as he averaged 15.3 points and 5.1 rebounds during his rookie season. For his stellar play, Smith was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Damon Stoudamire. Smith ended up playing 16 years in the NBA and suited up for 12 different teams.

The former Terp had superb careers at both the college and NBA levels. He had a knack for finishing around the basket and was even serviceable late in his career. For the amount of success that Smith had, he has to be considered one of the top draft picks that Maryland ever had.

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