CHAMPAIGN – After workouts Wednesday at the Illinois practice facility, coach Bruce Weber delivered a message to Jamar Smith's former teammates.
Asked what that message was, Weber said, "Learn from him."
Smith admitted in a Champaign County courtroom he violated probation by drinking alcohol July 25. The court then extended his probation 18 months from Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Peoria product spent August undergoing inpatient treatment at Proctor Hospital in his hometown. If there were signs of alcohol abuse during Smith's time at the UI, Smith or the coaches didn't recognize them, Weber said, even though Smith said Wednesday he is an alcoholic.
"I don't think anyone realized (Smith's condition). I don't think he did," Weber said after Smith appeared in court. "I've learned a lot about it because of what I've gone through (with Smith). Alcoholism is a very difficult thing to deal with. So is a drug addiction. It's beyond anyone's comprehension.
"If you haven't dealt with it, it's beyond your comprehension. I'm not saying I'm an expert on it, but I sure know a lot more than I did a year ago. It's hard for people to understand. I just hope and pray you don't have to deal with it or your family or anyone else."
Smith said he intends to move to Evansville, Ind., and attempt to play basketball at the University of Southern Indiana.
A Southern Indiana spokesman said men's basketball coach Rick Herdes can't comment on the possibility of Smith joining the program because he is "a recruitable student-athlete." Smith could be eligible to play for the Division II program as soon as December.
If Smith goes through with the move, Weber said basketball can be "a driving force" as the talented shooting guard moves forward with his life.
"It's a driving force with a lot of kids," Weber said. "It gives him a chance, it gives him an outlet. We talked a lot about that when he was here: 'Use basketball, use workouts. When you had urges or you started to think about things you weren't supposed to, just try to distract yourself.'
"I hope it's a driving force."
Smith would have 1 1/2 seasons of eligibility if he joins the Southern Indiana program in December. He had options of where he could continue his basketball career. Soon after he was dismissed from the Illinois program in late July, interested coaches called often. Those calls dwindled in number as coaches learned of Smith's issues.
"Obviously he had one chance and he didn't take care of it. Now, in baseball terms, if you miss again, he's really in trouble," Weber said. "We've tried to support him in the best way we can and just hope this will be a breaking point for him.
"I don't think he realized how bad it was. I don't think we realized how bad it was. Now I think we all do, and he's got to make a decision for his life."
Weber and assistant Wayne McClain have been in contact with Smith and the player's family since his dismissal, the coaches said. Assistant Jerrance Howard, another Peorian, has spoken with Smith and his family as well.
"Until you get it, and you have to deal with it, it's easy to sit back and say, 'How silly was that?' " McClain said of Smith's battle with alcohol abuse. "Dealing with it directly and hearing people talk and knowing what he went through, I can say that it's hard. It's harder than what people might think."
Contact between Illinois and Smith won't end now that it appears he's headed elsewhere.
"I told him today, any way we can help we're still going to try to help him," Weber said.
Kudos to Coach Weber for his usual candid assessment of the situation. I don't doubt that he, coach McClain and others on the team/staff did everything they could and what they thought was in Jamar's best interests as a person. What troubles me is what this says about the counseling/professional help brought to bear. This wasn't a situation of identifying the problem, that was pretty well exposed when the car hit the tree.
Posted by jturner on September 18, 2008 at 9:34 AM | Suggest Removal
Kudos to Coach Weber? You're joking, right? He mishandled the entire situation from the first moment and now talks as if the high road is available to him. That's offensive and indicative of this man's immaturity.
Posted by dstork on September 18, 2008 at 1:14 PM | Suggest Removal
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and this summarizes my opinion od the comments by dstork
"That's offensive and indicative of this man's immaturity."
Posted by lasmith12 on September 18, 2008 at 1:50 PM | Suggest Removal
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