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Kevin McLinton, former Maryland men’s basketball point guard, dies at 52

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Kevin McLinton, former Maryland men’s basketball point guard, dies at 52


Kevin McLinton, who shaped himself into the top facilitator for the Maryland men’s basketball program in his final three seasons from 1990 to 1993, died Thursday morning. He was 52.

The cause of death was not immediately known. Earlier Thursday, McLinton posted a photo of himself in a hospital to his Facebook account. “Looking for some prayers!!! Could definitely use them,” he wrote.

“The Maryland Men’s Basketball family mourns the passing of former guard Kevin McLinton, who played 91 games as a Terp and was a co-captain his senior season,” the Terps program posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”

In 91 games from 1989 to 1993 under then-new coach Gary Williams, McLinton averaged 11.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The 6-foot-3, 218-pound point guard still ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list in assists per game and ninth in total assists with 469.

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Jerrod Mustaf, whose sophomore season in 1989-90 overlapped with McLinton’s freshman year, said he has known McLinton since they were teenagers at one of Morgan Wootten’s summer basketball camps at DeMatha High in Hyattsville when Mustaf was a counselor and McLinton was a camper.

Mustaf — who spent four seasons in the NBA, including the last three with the Phoenix Suns — said the 1989-90 squad struggled to find consistency at the point guard position.

“Every team he played on in our scrimmages, they were winning. He was just so talented,” Mustaf recalled. “We [Mustaf and Tony Massenburg] gave him the nickname ‘Juice’ because we thought he resembled O.J. Simpson when O.J. Simpson was running through the airport in that commercial. This was back in ’89. We used to say, ‘Oh, that’s Juice.’”

As a senior for the 1992-93 season, McLinton served as co-captain along with power forward Evers Burns, a Woodlawn graduate, and enjoyed career highs in points (15.8 per game) and assists (6.3). His average assists total that year ranks eighth on the program’s single-season list, and he led the Terps in assists for three consecutive seasons from 1990 to 1993.

The son of former Washington linebacker Harold McLinton, Kevin McLinton grew up in Silver Spring and helped Springbrook High capture Class 4A state championships in basketball (1987-88) and football (1988) before enrolling at Maryland. Younger brother Darren McLinton averaged 13.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in four seasons at James Madison, which was coached by the late Lefty Driesell, who had helmed the Terps from 1969 to 1986.

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McLinton’s son Kevin “KJ” McLinton Jr. recently completed his freshman year at Wakefield High in Arlington, Virginia, contributing to a basketball team that went 21-5 and won the Liberty District title while earning a spot on the All-District defensive team.

As proud as he was of his son, McLinton was the type to reach out to friends to congratulate them for their accomplishments and those of their family members. Mustaf said McLinton was one of the first people to contact him when Mustaf’s son, Jaeden Mustaf, committed to play at Georgia Tech.

“We’re going to miss him,” Jerrod Mustaf said, adding that the 1989-90 team has lost forwards Rodney Walker (Cardinal Gibbons) and Kevin Chamberlain, guard Teyon McCoy and now McLinton. “Miss the conversations, just miss having one of our fellow Terps around. It’s just a devastating loss for the community.”

This story might be updated.





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Maryland Senate Republicans push to roll back MVA fees as drivers complain of costs

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Maryland Senate Republicans push to roll back MVA fees as drivers complain of costs


Maryland drivers frustrated by rising costs at the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) are watching a push in Annapolis to roll back recent vehicle registration fee hikes.

At the MVA on Reisterstown Road, motorists said the cost of driving has become too high.

“It’s too expensive to drive,” one driver said.

Another driver said, “The cost is ridiculous. They want me to pay almost $400 (for my vehicle registration).”

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ALSO READ | Maryland residents react to soaring vehicle registration fees, rank fifth highest in U.S.

Delores Howell, a Maryland motorist at the MVA, said the increases are hitting her hard.

“I think it’s awful. Who can afford it? It’s too much money,” Howell said.

She added, “I’m a senior citizen, and I’m on social security. I’m one person, live by myself. I can’t afford all this stuff. They keep going up, up, up, how high are they gonna go?”

Senate Republicans in Annapolis are pushing legislation this week to roll back the vehicle registration fee increases that were implemented in 2024. Those increases raised registration costs by about 60% to 70%, adding between $70 and $162 a year for many drivers.

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The bill’s sponsor, Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, said the higher fees are hitting families as the cost of gas, insurance and everyday essentials continues to climb.

Critics have warned the fees help fund transportation projects across Maryland and argue that reducing them could create new budget challenges for road maintenance and infrastructure.

During a recent hearing, Sen. Mary-Dulany James, D-Harford County, questioned how the state would meet transportation needs with less revenue.

“I’ve never had a hearing with the transportation department where we don’t have extraordinary demands and inadequate revenue,” James said. “So, that’s what I’m wondering about with this bill. How would you respond to that?”

Hershey responded by arguing there are competing views of what transportation funding should prioritize.

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“There’s two different opinions on what transportation is in the state of Maryland,” Hershey said. “Many of us believe that it’s roads and highways, many of us believe that it’s transit.

The problem is transit is not sustainable on itself.”

James replied, “Well that’s true we should have a separate transportation trust fund for transit.”

“And that’s what’s important to get that conversation going… because the reality is you’re funding mass transit on the backs of motorists,” Hershey said.

ALSO READ | Maryland Judiciary warns of parking violation scam, directs recipients to Baltimore court

Back at the MVA, Howell said she hopes the proposed legislation could bring relief.

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“Every time you look around, it’s not taxes. They put fees. Fees is a tax. So what can we do?” Howell said.

For now, the bill remains up for debate as lawmakers continue discussing the potential impacts on transportation funding.

Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.



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Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds

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Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds




Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds – CBS Baltimore

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The Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds.

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No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round

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No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round


No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball had a chance to earn the final shot Thursday night.

Oluchi Okananwa drew an and-one opportunity to potentially cut the deficit to one point. But she missed the free throw.

No. 11-seed Oregon went the other way and head coach Brenda Frese decided not to foul. With 4.4 seconds remaining, guard Avary Cain knocked down a 3-pointer to end Maryland’s run in the Big Ten Tournament after just one game with a 73-68 loss in Indianapolis.

“It felt like deja vu,” Frese said.

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Just like the last time it faced Oregon — in College Park in late January — Maryland led by a slim margin heading into the fourth quarter.

That night, the Terps were outscored 24-11 in the fourth. It was 21-11 in favor of Oregon on Thursday.

“They just made a few more plays than we did late game that sent us home,” Frese said.

Maryland’s offense didn’t come through when it needed it most — it made just one 3-pointer on 15 attempts on the night.

The Terps relied on interior scoring in the first half. Of its first 23 points, 22 came from inside the paint — the only other score was a free throw. The game finished with Maryland scoring 48 points in the paint. The other 15 points came from free throws.

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But that was too one-dimensional offensively. The Terps attempted 21 layups and seven 3-pointers in the first half. It finished with 33 layups and 16 3-pointers, and made 20 layups compared to one 3-pointer.

As the first half progressed, Oregon adjusted to take away that gameplan. The second quarter started with an 11-2 Ducks run — they simply found more ways to score. Maryland could not find scoring outside of the paint or the charity stripe — its only 3-pointer came with 1:50 remained in the first half.

The Ducks weren’t dominating from deep, either; the game consisted mostly of back-and-forth layups. Still, the lack of success from beyond the arc was relatively uncharted territory for head coach Brenda Frese.

Early on, the Terps were overly cautious in avoiding foul trouble. But it backfired.

Oluchi Okananwa started the game on 3-of-3 shooting and scored six of Maryland’s first eight points. She has dealt with foul trouble in recent games. So Frese opted to have her sit for the remaining six minutes of the first quarter after committing a foul.

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But amid the intention to avoid foul trouble, Yarden Garzon committed two quick fouls early in the second quarter.

The referees continued to call a tight game in the third quarter. Okananwa got up to three fouls, and so did Isi Ozzy-Momodu. The Terps were in the exact position they were looking to avoid.

Due to its cautiousness regarding foul trouble, Maryland’s rotations were altered. Breanna Williams had some extended playing time — though it started out well, it turned sour quickly. She made an early layup, but also had some defensive lapses and looked largely out of place.

Maryland relied on its freshmen for 35 collective minutes in the first half. They were impactful, but not as much as its senior leadership, which was hampered by foul trouble.

Okananwa finished with 27 points and was Maryland’s main workhorse. It didn’t end up being enough, but her ability to drive inside gave her team a fighting chance.

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“Just be aggressive. Be my normal self. A lot of good things happen for me when I drive,” Okananwa said. “Whether it’s me getting to the line or finishing the bucket. So that was my mentality. Just be aggressive.”

With a loss in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, what seemed like a sure thing that Maryland would host NCAA Tournament games now looks in jeopardy.

1. A shocking loss. Since joining the Big Ten, this is the first time Maryland failed to reach the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. Last year, the Terps lost their first game but had a double-bye; this was their worst outing ever in the Big Ten Tournament.

2. What now? With the Terps’ run in Indianapolis now over, they will wait to see if they will host in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland was not the only Big Ten team slated to host that lost on Thursday — Michigan State did too. It remains to be seen what that means for the Terps.

“It shouldn’t be judged off of one game, and I think our conference prepares you night in and night out,” Frese said. “I think you should be rewarded for your body of work.”

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3. Garzon’s bad game. Maryland needed more from Garzon on Thursday and simply didn’t get it, as she shot 1-of-11 from the field and 1-of-9 from deep. If she made one or two of those shots, there’s a good chance Maryland would have won.



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