With forward/center Dino Gregory returning to action this Saturday against Eastern Kentucky after being suspended for some academic violation, speculation is heating up on how he might be used and how he might contribute in the Terps’ lineup.
Here’s what it basically boils down to, OK? You can only have five players on the court at one time, right. So they’re gonna need to figure out whether they want to bench somebody to make room for Dino in the starting lineup. They could bench most consistent player Landon Milbourne (negative), maddening but most talented player Vasquez (negatory), or rock solid player Eric Hayes (negarino).
So that leaves Jordan Williams. Either he’ll be benched for Dino or Dino himself will sub in.
I think I have solved this mystery. The smoking gun is a quote from Gary Williams given after the Villanova game. Let’s go to the block quotes:
“We’re supposed to get Dino Gregory back by the 12th, according to the powers that be. We look forward to that, to him playing in our next game. He’ll give us more depth, more size on the inside. He’s a very good defensive player, a good rebounder, and we need that.”
Depth. See that? Dino will give us “depth.” If he had said “he’ll give us a more consistent presence inside,” or “he gives us more experience inside,” or “he’s going to give us more scoring on the inside,” then I’d say that Jordan Williams’ starting spot was in jeopardy. But he said none of those things. So to me, it doesn’t matter if Jordan Williams is green, or forest green, or lime green, or seafoam green. He’s gonna remain the starter. As the saying goes, you can’t teach six-ten. And Jordan just had his best game as a Terp, posting 19 points and 12 boards against Nova. Not to mention that Gary said after the game that Jordan was “a man.”
So what would Dino give us off the bench? Just hustle and rebounding and hustle and defense, along with his purportedly improved offensive game. Sounds like a pretty doggone good sixth man to me. Especially when you consider that our bench, to be frank, seems to be made of balsa wood and Bubble Yum up to this point. In 11.1 average minutes per player per game, the Padgett/Choi/Tucker/Bowie/Goins smorgasboard is averaging 3.14 points, 1.92 rebounds, and a crisp 0.74 assists per game. That is not very good. And a couple of them seem to have some between-the-ears issues that anything-for-the-team Gregory could help rectify.
All in all, the bench needs some buttressing, stat. And that’s where Dino fits.
There was once a good coach named Red Auerbach. He won a few rings. You may have heard of him. Anywho, Red invented a position – no, more of a strategy really – called the “sixth man”. I see you’ve mentioned that term. The Terps have neglected to have a solid sixth man for a long time, and it has bit them in the ass against the more talented teams. If you’re going to make a run in the ACC, you can’t have a steep dropoff when you go to the bench and you have to put in guys like Choi. The Terps should use this golden opportunity to put one of their best five on the bench without said player losing any confidence. Said player is Dino Gregory.
The good news is that after Eastern Kentucky this Saturday, they have 10 days before their next game, and it’s cupcake city for the next few weeks regardless. So they’ll have plenty of time to sort it out. But I’m still really liking Gregory as the first guy off the bench, in which role he’ll still get plenty of PT.
[...] If Maryland plays its game, EKU shouldn’t have an answer for Milbourne, Jordan Williams, the triumphantly returning Dino Gregory, and all the others. It should be a Terps win. But it should be interesting, [...]
[...] a game preview, per se, but whatevs. In any case, it gives me the awesome chance to note that I was wrong about Dino coming off the bench after his suspension. Although I still think that’s the best move. But hey, I’m not a [...]