Long before he stopped wearing a uniform and hung a whistle around his neck, long before he thought about someday becoming a Division I head coach, Juan Dixon often acted the part he will start playing officially when he is introduced Wednesday at Coppin State.
The roots of Dixon's nascent coaching career began in Baltimore more than two decades ago, and grew along with his stature as a college star at Maryland as well as during a seven-year career in the NBA.
During his last couple of years at Calvert Hall, where he first got noticed for his ability to score, and through much of his career in College Park, where he went from being a scrawny 140-pound redshirt freshman to the most accomplished player in school history, Dixon was the quintessential coach on the court.