Alabama releases Mitchell, Hankerson

Alabama releases Mitchell, Hankerson

Published Apr. 6, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

Alabama forward Tony Mitchell has left the team after ending his junior season on suspension, finishing a Crimson Tide career marked by crowd-pleasing dunks and sometimes inconsistent play.

Tide coach Anthony Grant said Friday that Mitchell and reserve guard Charles Hankerson Jr. requested and received releases from their scholarships.

''We're appreciative of the contributions they've made to our program and we wish them nothing but the absolute best as they pursue the next chapter of their lives and careers,'' Grant said.

Mitchell missed Alabama's final 11 games, including the NCAA tournament, after being suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team.

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Grant has said that Mitchell's suspension was an accumulation of things and not one incident, but never elaborated. The 6-foot-6 slasher was the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds. Mitchell averaged 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 89 games the past three seasons.

JaMychal Green, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele were all suspended five days after Mitchell's punishment. Green missed four games, the other two sat out one.

Alabama overcame the off-court issues to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006, but Mitchell didn't make it back.

Hankerson averaged 3.0 points in 56 games in two seasons.

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