Listening to the Terps’ 75-54 exhibition win last night over the mighty Crimson Hawks of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, you never would have guessed that Maryland had, or ever had, anyone on their roster named Dino Gregory. And that’s noteworthy why, you ask? Quit bothering you with this stupid exhibition bullcrap, you say? Well, hold on to your hats; this is curious because the Terps do have someone who goes by that name. Look, here he is. And what’s more, he was supposedly the team’s fifth starter entering the season.
So why did Gregory not only not play, but have his very existence expunged from the broadcast as if he were a “Fire Snyder” sign at a Redskins tailgate? Well, now we have our answer. Actually, some people were informed minutes before the game. But I was not. For I have no access, you see.
But now that I’m informed and fully awake, I’m going to be serious for a second here. Gregory was suspended and barred from Comcast Center last night because of some previous team violations (alleged to be academic misconduct) that have yet to be resolved. The school isn’t commenting, citing privacy rules. This is not boding well. This could mean significant lost time for Dino.
If Gregory does miss real games, it would not be the first time for a Maryland athlete. Maryland QB Josh Portis was caught cheating, had to sit out the 2007 season, and never recovered. He transferred. And of course, in January 2006, Maryland guard Chris McCray was deemed ineligible for the rest of his senior season. This wasn’t some reserve who dropped off the radar; this was a big gaffe. He was the team’s leading scorer and they ended up missing the tournament. Earlier this year, the artist formerly known as Jin Soo Kim was declared academically ineligible before being reinstated a few days later.
This is to say nothing of the Tyree Evans or Gus Gilchrist eligibility fiascoes.
McCray, Kim/Choi, Evans, Gilchrist, Portis, and maybe Gregory. That’s a decent team right there.
I never had the feeling Maryland players and programs weren’t taking school seriously. (Although graduation stats are pretty poor, they’re improving and potentially misleading. But that’s another post.) But it seems fair to ask whether there is a disconnect somewhere. Isn’t someone accountable for making sure players know the rules and get their butts to class? It seems like someone keeps dropping the ball when it comes to making sure players understand expectations (and consequences). And it seems like this stuff happens at Maryland more than other schools. Is that just me? Either way, how many more times do players need to lose eligibility because of some ultimately silly mistake before we stop shooting ourselves in the foot?
Shell Games 
Good post as always guys. As I said a few months ago when we met, I love the site. We haven’t heard anything else about Gregory, but we’ll try to let you know if we hear anything.
If it does turn out to be “academic dishonesty”, I’m not sure reminding players of the rules would have helped. I mean, who doesn’t know that cheating on a test or having someone else do their homework isn’t allowed? If they don’t, they probably don’t belong in college. Though most D1 atheletes probably don’t.
Hey, why hasn’t terphed been posting as often? What could possibly be more important than keeping us up to date on the Terps? It’s like he’s undergone some kind of life-altering change that has severely restricted his free time.
Thanks Dave. Yes, I’m monitoring the situation now as well. Now that this is all so public everyone will probably find out Dino’s fate around the same time.
Appreciate the compliments as well…we’re certainly big fans of yours too and we read every day. If you were ever to wish to link up to one of our posts, far be it from me to stand in your way. 😉