Terrapins Open Signing Period With Two Commitments
11/9/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland men's basketball program opened the early signing period by receiving National Letters of Intent from forward Dino Gregory (Baltimore, Md./Mt. St. Joseph) and center Braxton Dupree (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall).
"Baltimore has always been an important area for us in recruiting," said head coach Gary Williams. "We're excited to welcome these young men into our program."
Gregory averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocked shots per game as a junior. He helped Mt. St. Joseph capture its third consecutive league championship. The Gaels finished 38-1 during Gregory's junior campaign, as he earned All-Catholic League honors, and was named an All-MIAA selection. Gregory was also garnered second team All-Baltimore City plaudits. They were ranked as high as No. 8 nationally, and were the top-ranked team in Baltimore during 2005-06. A three-year varsity letterman at Mt. St. Joseph's, Gregory helped the team post a 31-4 mark during his sophomore season, after finishing 29-6 his freshman year.
"Dino Gregory was part of a championship team last year and has developed into a player who has a lot of skills with the basketball," noted Williams. "He has a lot of potential and fits in well to the way we try to play."
Dupree, the 13th-ranked center in the country by Rivals.com, plays for Calvert Hall in Baltimore and was named second team All-Baltimore County as a junior. The Cardinals finished 18-14 a season ago. He turned in a strong junior campaign after averaging 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds as a sophomore. The 6-foot-8 265-pound center chose Maryland over Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Calvert Hall produced former Terrapin great Juan Dixon.
"Braxton has worked very hard to become a dominant inside player," said Williams. "We expect him to come in and contribute for us right away."
The National Letter of Intent early signing period is November 8-15. The Terrapins expect to add more signees throughout the signing period. The Terps' 2006-07 roster features six seniors, including Will Bowers, Parrish Brown, Gini Chukura, Ekene Ibekwe, Mike Jones and D.J. Strawberry.
