Gregory to return Dec. 12; Choi could be back tonight

Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams cleared some of the mystery surrounding forward Dino Gregory’s suspension yesterday afternoon when he confirmed an earlier report the junior is expected to return for the team’s Dec. 12 game against Eastern Kentucky.

Williams said Gregory, whose suspension for an unspecified team rules violation began with the team’s Nov. 3 exhibition win, is practicing with the team but offered few other details.

“We’re going to try to be as good a team as we can this year,” said Williams, who declined to confirm the report in a phone interview Wednesday night. “That’s what we’re working toward, and you know, Dino is a big part of that. So that’s where we are.”

Gregory’s return, which will come after eight regular-season games , should provide a much-needed boost inside for the Terps, who take on New Hampshire tonight at Comcast Center in their final tune-up before heading to next week’s Maui Invitational.

However, much remains unclear about the nature of the suspension. Gregory has not been on the Terp bench for the team’s exhibition game or its two regular-season contests.

Late last night, at around 11 p.m., Gregory tweeted: “If only people knew what really happened. ... This isn’t or was not fair at all from the get go [sic].”

Gregory followed that up with another tweet three minutes later: “I’m so mad about these so called “head people” in charge. I really got screwed [sic].”

The Athletics Department has not commented since issuing a press release before the exhibition, saying they could not offer further details because of privacy laws concerning student records. Gregory, who averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season, has not been available for comment.

The Washington Post reported that Gregory acknowledged an academic dishonesty charge this summer, but it’s not known if the charge is related to the suspension.

The university’s last day of fall semester classes is Dec. 11, but it’s unclear if that is related to the timing of his scheduled return.

The suspension will last through the team’s trip to Maui, where the Terps will face their first major nonconference competition of the season, and its showdown with No. 5 Villanova at the Verizon Center on Dec. 6 — which should be the Terps’ stiffest nonconference test.

But so far, the Terps, who dressed just three scholarship forwards in Tuesday’s win against Fairfield, have had little trouble filling the void.

Williams praised Gregory for his work in practice with freshmen Jordan Williams and James Padgett, who have played major minutes at the forward spot opposite Landon Milbourne that Williams has said would have gone to Gregory.

Milbourne said the team’s lack of post players wasn’t an issue against Fairfield and that he didn’t think about it before the game.

“We’ve got to play with what we got,” guard Adrian Bowie said after the team’s first game without Gregory, an exhibition win against Division II Indiana (Pa.). “If he’s out, he’s out.”

• CHOI, GOINS MAY SOON RETURN

Williams’ update on Gregory was just part of the encouraging news for the Terps’ thin frontcourt. Williams said forward Jin Soo Choi (ankle) and center Steve Goins (knee) are also closer to returning.

Choi, who sprained his ankle in the season opener against Charleston Southern and missed Tuesday’s game against Fairfield, resumed running Wednesday. Williams said if Choi could get back on the practice floor yesterday, he was hopeful the 6-foot-8 sophomore might return tonight against the Wildcats.

Goins has not played yet this season due to a recurring knee injury. Each time Goins has tried to resume basketball activities, his knee, which he had surgery on this summer , has swelled. But Williams said the 6-foot-10 sophomore planned to practice yesterday for the second straight day. “That’s good,” Williams said. “We can use a big body.”

edetweiler@umdbk.com