Men's basketball's Len eligible to play in late December

After traveling more than 5,000 miles to play basketball only to be told it might not be possible, Alex Len finally has a day he can start calling Comcast Center home.

In a boost to an undersized Terrapins men's basketball team, the 7-foot-1 Ukrainian freshman center learned yesterday he will be eligible to play this season after sitting out 10 games. Len will be able to practice with the team before his likely debut at a Dec. 28 home game against Albany.

"Alex has been working very hard to prepare himself for this opportunity," coach Mark Turgeon stated in a release. "We look forward to having him on the court and to see how he'll fit into what we want to do offensively and defensively."

Before determining when it could clear Len to play at the collegiate level, the NCAA first had to investigate Len's academic and amateur standing. Len played with a professional club overseas, and the NCAA's lengthy evaluation of his eligibility left Turgeon visibly frustrated at times last month.

The first-year coach had anxiously been awaiting a ruling on Len since the start of the semester, particularly hoping for one by the start of practice Oct. 14, but no such word came until yesterday.

"We appreciate the NCAA's cooperative review of Alex's case," Athletic Director Kevin Anderson stated in the release. "However, it has been a difficult situation in light of Alex's educational pursuits. Alex and his family have been very patient and honest throughout this process, which speaks well of his character."

Len, who averaged 16 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in last year's U-18 European Championships, had teammates and coaches raving at the start of the season about his potential. But he arrived in College Park with uncertainty swirling about whether he would even be able to play for the depth-starved Terps.

"He's one of those guys at the end of the year I think you'll look and say he's our most improved player because it's all so new to him," Turgeon said at the team's Oct. 12 media day. "God gave him so much ability that he should improve at a pretty high rate."

"He's unbelievable," senior guard Sean Mosley said. "I've never seen a big man do the things that he does. He has a nice mid-range shot, he's very young, but when you see him play, there's another side to him."

Len should shore up some of the team's depth issues once he's eligible to play. With the departure of forward Jordan Williams to the NBA and forward Haukur Palsson to play professionally overseas compounding the graduation of forward Dino Gregory, Turgeon had little to work with entering the season. Come late December, Len will share a frontcourt comprising largely inexperienced forwards Ashton Pankey and James Padgett and center Berend Weijs.

"These big guys, you just never know," Turgeon said Oct. 12. "We're all anticipating him helping us. How much, we don't know."

ceckard@umdbk.com