USC Guard Pruitt Is Ruled Ineligible

Sophomore Gabe Pruitt, the USC basketball team’s second-leading scorer, was declared academically ineligible for the fall semester Wednesday, leaving the Trojans without an established point guard until at least mid-December.

Pruitt had been expected to take over the ball-handling duties from freshman guard Ryan Francis, who was shot and killed May 13 while riding in a car in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. The only true point guard remaining on USC’s roster is incoming freshman Derek Glasser, who had been expected to receive minimal playing time as a walk-on but now might be thrust into an important role.

“I’m very disappointed to have let my teammates down like this,” Pruitt, who averaged 16.9 points and was an All-Pacific 10 Conference first-team selection, said in a statement. “I take full responsibility for slipping up and losing focus in the classroom. I now have to pick it up, work hard to get eligible and use this as a lesson to be learned. I guarantee it won’t happen again.”

The 6-foot-4 Pruitt, USC’s best three-point shooter, also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a team-high 2.2 steals while leading the Trojans to a better-than-expected 17-13 record and sixth-place conference finish.

“I’m very disappointed in Gabe,” Coach Tim Floyd said in a statement. “We have high expectations for our players in the classroom. This is a setback not only for Gabe, but for our entire team.”