Report: Academic problems sideline Georgetown’s Joshua Smith for remainder of season
Georgetown coach John Thompson III has decided junior center Joshua Smith will miss the remainder of the season because of academic problems, according to a report from CBSSports.com.
Thompson transferred to Georgetown from UCLA last winter and was granted a waiver allowing him to play from the start of this season without having to sit out. It's now fair to wonder whether getting Smith on the court right away might have played a part in his academic issues that will prohibit him from playing the rest of the year.
The 6-foot-10 former McDonald's All-American dealt with weight and fitness problems at UCLA that prevented him from playing for more than a few minutes at a time. He proved to be more effective for the Hoyas this season, but he still only averaged 20 minutes and 11.5 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
He had not played since a Jan. 4 win over St. John's. He scored five points in that game but was benched for the following five games. The Hoyas have gone 1-4 without him.
He made his biggest impact in the Hoyas' first game of the season, an 82-75 loss to Oregon in which he scored 25 points.
Georgetown is 11-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big East this season with a road game Saturday at conference leader Creighton (16-3, 6-1).
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is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
