St. John’s Program Is Not in Danger, Spokesman Says
The president of St. John’s told the New York Daily News that he might recommend suspending the men’s basketball program if it can’t remain free of scandal.
The university’s chief spokesman, however, said Thursday there hadn’t been any consideration of dropping the program.
“In no way, shape or form are we thinking of disbanding the program,” spokesman Jody Fisher said.
Father Donald Harrington told the paper in an article published Thursday: “I would go to the board [of trustees] and say, ‘It’s now my conviction we can’t do it,’ ” if the program’s troubles persist.
“The university’s values and mission are too important,” Harrington said. “If the question is, ‘Would you sacrifice your principles rather than face fact?’ The answer is no. We will not sacrifice our principles or our mission.
“Ultimately, that would be the decision of our trustees, but that would be my recommendation.”
On Wednesday, guard Elijah Ingram withdrew from the university, one week after he and five teammates broke curfew to go to a strip club during a trip to Pittsburgh.
Ingram, a sophomore who led the team in scoring, left on the same day the St. John’s judicial board announced the suspension of teammate Abe Keita from the university for one year.
Ingram and Keita already were permanently suspended from the team. A third player, Grady Reynolds, was expelled last week. Two other players were suspended from the team but have remained in school.
The players got in trouble after a 71-51 loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh on Feb. 4.
A woman told police she was raped by St. John’s players she met at a strip club outside the city.
No criminal charges were filed against the players, and the woman was charged with prostitution, attempted extortion and filing fictitious reports.
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Wisconsin guard Maurice Wade pleaded not guilty to a charge of choking a woman at her apartment in Madison, Wis.
At the hearing, Dane County Circuit Court Commissioner Todd Meurer ordered Wade to stay away from the area where the woman lives.
The 19-year-old woman accused Wade of attacking her last week. She said the player choked her twice.
She was treated at a hospital and released.
According to the complaint, Wade pushed her into a bathtub but he denied trying to choke her.
Wade was suspended by officials after he was arrested and sat out two games.
The suspension was lifted by a school appeals committee on Monday, and Wade scored four points in the No. 17 Badgers’ 54-52 victory over Iowa on Wednesday.
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Missouri forward Linus Kleiza’s season is over after it was announced he will have surgery on his right shoulder.
Kleiza leads the Tigers in rebounding with an 8.4 average and ranks fourth in scoring with an 11.1-point average.
Kleiza, a 6-foot-8 native of Lithuania, was injured Jan. 28 in the last minute of an 83-70 loss at Colorado and has not played since.