North Carolina center J.R. Reid and forward...

North Carolina center J.R. Reid and forward Steve Bucknall will sit out the Tar Heels’ 1987-88 basketball season opener because of their arrests on charges of simple assault, Coach Dean Smith said.

Raleigh police charged Reid, a sophomore, and Bucknall, a junior, after a confrontation Oct. 24 at a Raleigh nightclub, Shooters II. Reid and Bucknall are scheduled to make a court appearance in Wake County District Court on Nov. 16.

“Although the players were verbally harassed and pushed in an effort to provoke some kind of response, I am taking disciplinary steps against them for not getting out when the verbal harassment started,” Smith said in a statement.

The 6-foot 9-inch Reid, the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year last season, averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. Bucknall, 6-6, saw spot action and averaged 3.7 points a game.