Just another squandered opportunity for a very talented basketball player.
Smith’s weight issues have been well documented, and it was believed all along that his talent was even larger than his battle of the bulge. So when the Hoyas surprisingly won the battle to get him cleared this season by the NCAA, it was thought to be a big win for Georgetown. He had lost weight and immediately showed the impact he could make by scoring 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting vs. Oregon in the team’s season opener in South Korea.
But after sitting the past five games because of an academic issue, the book has been closed on Smith’s season for good.
“It’s disappointing,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III told The Washington Post. “A lot of what we did was geared toward his presence. This is Georgetown, and we have a set of standards, and everyone has a responsibility above and beyond what goes on outside of those doors” (to their gym).
The NCAA’s decision to rule Smith eligible ran contrary to what the NCAA did in the case of others, namely Old Dominion’s Donte Hill, who was denied a waiver to play this season for the Monarchs after having played only eight minutes of a preseason scrimmage in 2010 for Clemson.
An NCAA spokesman told The Washington Post that the decision on Smith was made “based on the totality of circumstances and well-being of the student-athlete,” and that no further details of the case could be provided because of privacy issues.
Smith has one year of eligibility remaining, and the Hoyas are 1-4 since he left the team’s lineup.
Georgetown goes on the road to play Big East leader Creighton on Sunday, then faces Villanova and Michigan State afterward. It will be hard for the Hoyas to win any of those games.
PURPLE-OUT AT AKRON
The University of Akron school colors are, appropriately enough, Akron Gold and Akron Navy Blue. These are the hues that thread through the mostly white uniforms worn by the Zips when they play home basketball games at the James A. Rhodes Arena.
Wednesday night, though, when Akron faces Ball State, the place will turn purple—the color associated with pancreatic cancer, in honor of Zips director of basketball operations Dan Peters.
Peters, 59, had surgery in December in an attempt to remove the cancerous tumor that was found on his pancreas. Doctors were unable to remove it. He told Akron Beacon Journal writer Marla Ridenour he has been given a 5 percent chance to survive.
“I get a little anxious because I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” Peters told Ridenour. “But the one thing I would say is whatever happens is OK. I believe God has always taken care of me. I’m in his hands. As much as I would like to live, that may not be the option. I have no regrets. I’m going to try as hard as I can to fight this. I know there have been a lot of people who have been praying and I’m very appreciative. I’m actually in a very good place, I guess.”
Peters has been with Akron since 2009, joining his good friend Keith Dambrot’s staff. He previously was on the bench as an assistant at Ohio State, Cincinnati, Akron and Western Carolina. He was head coach at Youngstown State from 1993-99, where he was named Mid-Continent (Summit League) coach of the year in 1998.
He was on conference championship staffs at each of his past three stops: Cincinnati in Conference USA, Ohio State in the Big Ten and Akron in the Mid-American Conference.
The first 3,000 fans who arrive at Akron’s game against Ball State will be issued purple T-shirts with “For Pete’s Sake” logos across the front. All who attend are encouraged to wear purple in his honor.
Coaches at several schools have pledged to wear purple “For Pete’s Sake” pins on their lapels either this weekend, which is dedicated to the Coaches vs. Cancer charity with its “Suits and Sneakers” program, or within the next week, including Arizona, Ohio State, West Virginia and other members of the Mid-American Conference.
Peters was scheduled to have his first chemotherapy treatment Wednesday.
“I said, ‘Let’s go after this thing,’” Peters said. “They’ve had tremendous advances in cancer research, except in one area. They’re using the same drugs they used 20 years ago. But they’re using them in different combinations, maybe with some new drugs. What we’ve got to hope for is the chemo and drugs can kill the tumor or shrink it.”
Peters said it has been uplifting to be contacted by so many old friends and acquaintances wishing him well in his fight.
“The only time I get really emotional is over the people,” Peters said. “It’s not that I have the cancer. I don’t want to accept that, but I have to. The people have just moved me so much.”
TISDALE LIST BREAKDOWN
If the midseason watch list for the Wayman Tisdale Award looks similar to the Oscar Robertson Trophy list, it should—six of players up for player of the year (Robertson) are up for freshman of the year (Tisdale).
C Joel Embiid, Kansas 7-0 250 Fr. Yaounde, Cameroon G Tyler Ennis, Syracuse 6-2 180 Fr. Brampton, Ont. F Aaron Gordon, Arizona 6-9 225 Fr. San Jose, Calif. F Jordan Mickey, LSU 6-8 220 Fr. Dallas, Texas F Jabari Parker, Duke 6-8 235 Fr. Chicago, Ill. F Julius Randle, Kentucky 6-9 250 Fr. Dallas, Texas F Noah Vonleh, Indiana 6-10 240 Fr. Haverhill, Mass. G Andrew Wiggins, Kansas 6-8 200 Fr. Vaughan, Ont. G James Young, Kentucky 6-6 215 Fr. Rochester Hills, Mich.
Among the most important takeaways from this list: Five of the players have first names starting with the letter J, and all but one of the recipients (Wiggins) have first and last names of no more than six letters. So Rondae Hollis-Jefferson fans really had no chance.
This year’s award winner will follow Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, who won the honor last year given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The recipient also gets a statuette designed by nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray.
At least seven of the players on this list stand a chance at entering the NBA Draft at season’s end; in fact, all but Mickey appear on DraftExpress’ 2014 first-round mock draft board.
Contributors: Roger Kuznia and Mike DeCourcy
