By Dave CampbellL, AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minnesota coach Tubby Smith has suspended two players indefinitely for breaking team rules.
Smith would not say Tuesday why freshman forward Royce White and senior
guard Devron Bostick were in trouble. They'll be held out of
exhibitions Thursday (against Minnesota Duluth) and Monday (against
Minnesota State Moorhead) and possibly more, until Smith decides
they're ready to return to the No. 25-ranked Gophers.
"It could be two games. It could be five, six. It could be more," Smith
said, adding: "It could be 20. It depends on what I want, what I
decide."
Bostick is a reserve who averaged
11 minutes per game last season. White was dismissed from DeLaSalle
High School in Minneapolis last year for academic misconduct before
finishing his prep career at Hopkins.
White
is part of a touted recruiting class that includes transfer Trevor
Mbakwe, who is also out indefinitely while a felony aggravated battery
charge against him goes through the legal process.
"If you do something wrong, our guys know that playing time ... is a
privilege," Smith said. "We expect them to conduct themselves in a
proper way. When they don't, unfortunately they force our hands and
force us to do something we really don't want to do."
White and Mbakwe were expected to give Minnesota some bulk and
athleticism at the power forward spot. Damian Johnson and Paul Carter,
who are more natural at small forward, will play more inside while
White and Mbakwe are out.
For now, the
Gophers are down to 11 players including freshman walk-on guard
Dominique Dawson, who was expected to redshirt but might be activated
instead to provide more depth.
"We still have a really solid group," Smith said.
As for Mbakwe, Smith said he agreed with athletics director Joel
Maturi's decision to keep the junior from playing until he's cleared in
the court system. Mbakwe wasn't at practice Monday or Tuesday to take
care of his legal matters.
"We love Trevor, and he's done everything we've asked him to do since he's been here," the coach said.
Smith said he wasn't sure when he would decide whether Mbakwe should be redshirted or not.
"He'll have two years of eligibility left if he does sit out this year,
but if he gets it resolved in his favor he'll be back on the court
immediately," Smith said.
Minnesota's first regular season game is against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 13.
