Old Dominion guard Kent Bazemore was arrested in uniform Wednesday night on an outstanding warrant just minutes before his team was set to tip off a game against Mercer.
Virginia Beach police traveled 20 miles west to the Constant Center in Norfolk to take 22-year-old Bazemore into custody for missing court-ordered alcohol-education classes stemming from his DUI arrest last summer.
Bazemore, a fifth-year senior and the team's leading scorer, was ready to take the court for the Monarchs in the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
"About five minutes before [the] game, literally [I] was told he would be unavailable," head coach Blaine Taylor said, according to the The Virginian-Pilot.
Since Mercer rallied late for a 79-73 victory, Bazemore's college career is now over.
"It's just crazy how they did this to this poor kid," Bazemore's lawyer, Peter Decker III, told The Virginian-Pilot on Thursday, criticizing the timing of the arrest.
"All I can imagine is that he had a lot going on, including the [conference] tournament, during this time period. He's a college kid. He misplaced his priorities. He didn't follow through, and he needs to learn from that."
Decker said the judge could seek to impose jail time that was suspended as part of the sentencing agreement.
Court records show Bazemore pleaded guilty in August to driving while intoxicated. He was placed on probation, fined and ordered to complete an alcohol safety program.
A warrant for Bazemore was issued in February for not completing the program.
Bazemore averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds this season and helped Old Dominion reach the NCAA Tournament in the previous two seasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
