Kindred: U of I makes right call in sitting Smith

Friday, August 24, 2007 11:49 PM CDT

Normally, second chances are given. This one must be earned. Applaud the University of Illinois for that. The powers that be in Champaign got it right in regard to embattled basketball player Jamar Smith.

The junior guard is not being handed his position. If he wants it back, he’ll have to work for it, wait for it. Trust and respect are earned over the long haul, and there will be no shortcuts for Smith.

His resolve will be tested every day for the next year, with a lot more eyes than Bruce Weber’s on him. Smith’s behavior will be subject to review in everything he does. If he truly has changed, and truly wants to be a productive citizen, student and player, he’ll have to prove it.

That is the only way this could work, really. Many believe Smith had his chance and blew it last February, when on a snowy night he drank himself into a stupor and wrecked his car into a tree, leaving his teammate and passenger, Brian Carlwell, with a severe concussion.

His blood-alcohol level at twice the legal limit, Smith left the scene and drove back to his apartment, further jeopardizing Carlwell’s health.

Ultimately, Smith pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and served 15 days in jail. He also was placed on 24 months’ probation, given 100 hours of public service, fined $1,000 and sent to substance-abuse classes.

Weber suspended him for the final eight games of last season, and announced on Wednesday that Smith will be redshirted this year. If the sharpshooting guard from Peoria wants to play again in an Illini uniform, and he says he does, he’ll have to keep his nose clean and to the grindstone for another 12 months.

Reportedly, the decision to sit Smith came from above Weber. No matter, it was the right move. Smith says he has not taken a drink in six months, that he is a new person living a new life. The Illinois administration wants to be sure before allowing him to again represent the university.

That is not a lot to ask.

In fact, it is the responsibility of those in charge, from President B. Joseph White on down, to demand that Smith earn a second opportunity after squandering his first so badly, so publicly.

Illinois’ committee on student conduct ruled Smith should be allowed to remain in school, a first step in his road back. He began classes on Wednesday.

Course work aside, the real tests will come away from the classroom and the court, where Smith will be allowed to practice with the Illini.

He admitted during his legal troubles to drinking alcohol frequently in the year leading up to his accident. There will be temptation to fall back into that pattern when the games go on without him.

Frustration and free time can be a bad combination, and Smith will have both. How he handles that will determine whether or not he is worthy of a second chance.

Meanwhile, Smith will remain on scholarship. Perhaps he should have been made to earn that back as well. A full ride comes with expectations and responsibilities, and Smith failed to live up to either last year.

That said, this is ultimately about a young man turning his life around, and it is difficult to put a price on that. It is not about money as much as maturity, i.e. growing from one’s mistakes.

Smith wants us to believe he has grown up immensely, that he has learned to value sobriety and is committed to it. He wants us to believe he is ready to become a leader and role model on and off the court.

If he is, a year won’t change that.

If not, he’ll be out of chances … second or otherwise.

Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs