WASHINGTON - University of Maryland guard Juan Dixon was one of college basketball's sensational players last season, and his performance in the NCAA tournament was one of the best in recent memory, but his selection as the No. 17 pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night was a reach, and partially based on local interest.

Certainly, Dixon deserves all the accolades based on what he has overcome. Both of his parents died of AIDS-related illnesses when he was a teen-ager. You can't help but root for the guy because he is one of the classiest people in sports.

But was he actually the 17th-best player in the draft? No. Is he a stretch? Absolutely. Is his game flawed for the NBA? Yes. Does his name have drawing power? Without question in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Yesterday, Wizards coach Doug Collins and general manager Wes Unseld talked about Dixon's work ethic, his success on every level, and most of all, his heart.

There will be no argument here. Dixon is a warrior. I still can't forget the performances against Wisconsin and Connecticut in the NCAA tournament. Wherever Dixon has played - Calvert Hall, Maryland - he was always told he was too short, too slow, whatever, and he succeeded.

But let's get out of the feel-good business for a second, and take a good, hard look at the Wizards and Dixon. Supposedly, His Airness, Michael Jordan, wants to come back for another season as the backup shooting guard to Richard Hamilton. Fine. That would probably make Dixon the backup point guard to Chris Whitney.

There is one major problem here. Dixon is a sharpshooter. He can knock down shots from anywhere. But the man can't dribble. Muggsy Bogues, he ain't.

And if Jordan doesn't come back, then Dixon becomes the shooting guard behind Hamilton, which creates another problem. Who becomes the backup point guard? If it's Tyronn Lue, then the Wizards have a second-team backcourt of Lue, at 6 feet and 178 pounds, and Dixon, at 6-3 and 170 on a good day after a feast. Whitney is only 6-0 and 175.

What is this, a team of munchkin guards?

Dixon will have a hard time playing in the more physical, 82-game schedule. Shooting guards, like Reggie Miller, will shoot over him easily, and point guards, like Jason Kidd, will take him down to the low post.

Shouldn't you be able to get more out of a No. 17 pick?

"Everybody talks about position and body size," said Collins. "What did Larry Brown do? He said we're going to get Eric Snow, and let Eric Snow be Eric Snow and Allen Iverson be Allen Iverson. It's our job as personnel people to make sure we put the right pieces together so that we can bring out the best in everybody. I love players who come from great families, are winners and took their teams to the highest levels."

There's the intangible thing again.

Here's more reality: Several of the so-called NBA draft experts labeled Dixon a defensive stopper, but that's not true. Dixon, the Terps' all-time leader in steals, had extremely quick hands and was great at anticipating passes in passing lanes. But when defending one-on-one, he had problems.

Instead of taking Dixon at the No. 17 spot, the Wizards would have been better off taking 6-3 point guard Frank Williams of Illinois, who went to the Knicks with the 25th selection.

In a perfect world, Dixon would have been a better fit for a team like the Los Angeles Lakers or the New Jersey Nets, where he could come off the bench for some spot-up shooting. Instead, he goes to the Wizards, who have made a lot of questionable draft and free-agent signings in the past. This franchise signed Moses Malone, Gus Williams and Bernard King when they were a step slow and too old.

The Wizards needed another selling point. There is no buzz around the team this off-season because no one outside Washington cares about Jordan returning. Snooze, snooze.

But Dixon will bring fans to MCI Center. They'll come from his hometown of Baltimore, and outside D.C, where he has entertained them for years. He left as one of the University of Maryland's best players ever, leading them to a national championship only a few months ago.

He has guts, moxie and a shot he worked extremely hard on to develop.

"I've overcome a lot of obstacles that would have forced others to quit," said Dixon. "I look at this as another challenge. It's all fun. That how I think about this game, especially after what I've been through. So there's no pressure. I played in this area for the last 4 1/2 years and I didn't feel any pressure at all."

You've got to love his attitude, and you hope everything works out for the best. There probably is a place in the NBA for a Juan Dixon. No one knows if it's at the point guard or shooting guard position.

But whatever happens, he wasn't worth the No. 17 pick in the NBA draft.