Maryland standout who lost both parents to AIDS is now on basketball's center stage

<br>ATLANTA (AP) _ Each time he steps to the free-throw line, Juan Dixon taps his chest lightly before eyeing the basket. Underneath his No. 3 Maryland jersey, close to his heart, is a tattoo of his mother,

Monday, April 1st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ Each time he steps to the free-throw line, Juan Dixon taps his chest lightly before eyeing the basket. Underneath his No. 3 Maryland jersey, close to his heart, is a tattoo of his mother, Juanita.

Juanita often used heroin in the bathroom when Dixon was growing up. His father also was a heavy drug user and spent part of his life in jail. Both died of AIDS when Dixon was in high school.

But Dixon managed to escape his troubled background, and now has the Maryland Terrapins on the verge of winning their first national championship when they play Indiana on Monday. Dixon has scored at least 27 points in all but one game in the NCAA Tournament, including 33 in the win over Kansas on Saturday.

Not bad for a player who was given little chance of succeeding for Maryland.

``A lot of people counted me out before I even got here,'' Dixon says. ``Not having my parents around make it a little harder. But I stayed strong. I had my extended family. I had coach to help me develop as a person and also as a basketball player.''

Maryland's fabulous senior shooting guard long ago made basketball his refuge. By spending time in the gym he avoided the temptation to hang out on the streets of Baltimore, and he found peers who could improve his life.

If only his parents had such a sanctuary.

``They got caught up in the wrong crowd,'' says Dixon, whose parents' names, Nita and Phil, are tattooed on his left biceps.

After they died, Dixon was cared for by his grandparents and turned to his older brother, Phil, for guidance. Phil showed him a world without drugs _ one that emphasized education and basketball.

``He's been a role model for me ever since I was a kid,'' said Dixon, 23. ``He played college basketball; I wanted to play college basketball. He got his degree; I wanted to do the same.''

He plans to get his degree in family studies this fall, about the same time he begins his NBA career.

Dixon wanted to play at Maryland, but when he came to the school _ at 6-foot-3 and weighing just 150 pounds _ he was deemed too frail to survive in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He spent his first year as a redshirt freshman, and didn't start a game as a sophomore.

He's now up to 165 pounds, but more importantly he is the leading scorer in the history of the program, passing such greats as Len Bias and John Lucas. He has participated in more wins (109) than any other Terrapin, and is the only person in NCAA history with at least 2,000 points, 300 steals and 200 3-pointers.

``Juan is as good as anyone who's ever played at the University of Maryland,'' Maryland coach Gary Williams said.

One more win, and Dixon will be able to achieve the goal he set at the beginning of his college career: to win a national championship.

To the Hoosiers, Dixon is the biggest obstacle in their path to a sixth national title.

``Juan Dixon is probably one of the best competitors in the country. He wants to win in the worst way,'' Indiana coach Mike Davis says. ``He's a tough guy.''

Williams has grown weary of questions about Dixon's troubled past. He would prefer to talk about his best player's development with the team.

``You have to separate it from what Juan does on the court. It's just incredible what he does,'' Williams says. ``I'm very proud of the way Juan has improved as a basketball player in his four years at Maryland.''

Actually, Dixon's personal life is as much a part of his excellence on the court as the 300 jump shots he takes after almost every practice. He attributes his relentless work ethic to the stand he took in the wake of his parents' deaths.

``I think that my parents dying definitely made me stronger mentally,'' Dixon says. ``I think I have an edge on the court because you've always got to believe in yourself, and I believe.''