Maryland basketball special assistant Juan Dixon leaves the program

Juan Dixon’s time as a Maryland basketball staffer has come to an end.

The player widely regarded as one of the best in Terrapins basketball history is gone from the program. The Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs and Baltimore Sun’s Don Markus were the first to report Wednesday that Maryland had “relieved him of his duties.”

There’s still a good bit unknown about this, but one major element came down to NCAA regulations. A source said Dixon’s split with Maryland stemmed, in the first place, from his desire to be a full-time, recruiting-eligible assistant. At Maryland, Dixon could neither lead workouts nor leave the building to recruit.

Teams only get three assistants who can do those things, and Maryland’s sheet is full with Dustin Clark, Bino Ranson and Cliff Warren. Dixon will look for a similar job at another school, the source said, although the timetable on that isn’t clear.

Dixon played in 141 games for Maryland between 1998 and 2002, his career culminating in a national championship run at the end of his senior season. Dixon scored 20 points per game that year and etched himself into Maryland lore.

He returned to Maryland as a special assistant in 2013, when the team fired Dalonte Hill and promoted Clark from basketball operations director to a full-time assistant job.