In senior year, Gregory becomes crucial piece
Patience, loyalty, belief.
Despite his hair-on-fire reputation, those are the qualities Gary Williams has consistently demonstrated to his players in his 22 seasons at Maryland. It’s why so many Terrapins have developed late in their careers.
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Other programs cast out unproductive underclassmen. Williams stands by his.
In the class of 2009, it was Dave Neal. Last year, it was Landon Milbourne. This season, it’s Dino Gregory.
On Saturday, when Maryland (18-12, 7-8) hosts Virginia (15-14, 6-9), it will be the final game at Comcast Center for the 6-foot-7 forward, the last in a long line of late-blooming “Gary Guys.”
Out of Mount St. Joseph High in Baltimore, Gregory began like many of his predecessors, with 12 garbage-time points in his freshman year. But over time, he found his role. This season as a first-year starter, Gregory has been a Maryland constant, averaging 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds.
“It’s my last year. I want to go out with a bang,” Gregory said last month. “I want to be one of the guys remembered on this team forever. It’s motivation.”
| UP NEXT |
| Virginia at Maryland |
| When » Saturday, 2 p.m. |
| Where » Comcast Center, College Park |
| TV » ACC Network (Fox) |
| Radio » 570 AM |
| In three trips to College Park, Virginia seniors Will Sherrill and Mustapha Farrakhan have never beaten Maryland. The Terps won the first meeting this year 66-42 behind Adrian Bowie (22 points). |
While fellow seniors Adrian Bowie and Cliff Tucker have failed to seize their opportunities, Gregory has played progressively well throughout the season, averaging 11.9 points and seven rebounds over his last seven games.
It’s a long way from the first month of Gregory’s junior year, when he was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
“He’s hung in there through some tough stuff,” Williams said. “And he’s worked very hard to become a consistent shooter like he’s been for us this year.”
Gregory’s repertoire is limited — mostly layups and baseline jumpers. But he has expanded his range and knocked down shots when teams have paid too much attention to top scorer Jordan Williams.
After coming into this year with a career shooting mark of 40.2 percent, Gregory is hitting 50.2. He even made the first 3-pointer of his career last month at Virginia Tech. Imagining him even attempting one was unthinkable when he arrived in College Park.
“My freshman year, I didn’t see this coming. But I’ve worked hard,” Gregory said. “I knew teams were going to double Jordan [this year]. I had to hit my jump shots. I worked extremely hard to shoot the ball every day [in the summer].”
Taking a road previously traveled by Terps such as Rodney Elliott and James Gist, Gregory has justified the faith of his coach and reiterated Gary Williams’ reputation as a coach who gets the most from his players.
Even if it takes a while.
