Duke’s Smith given 2-game suspension
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)—Duke guard Nolan Smith will sit out two games because he played in an unsanctioned summer league.
Smith said Tuesday night after the Blue Devils’ 84-48 exhibition victory over Findlay that he was suspended because he played a game with overseas players and professionals over the summer near his hometown of Washington, D.C.
The junior will miss the opener against North Carolina-Greensboro on Nov. 13 and a game three nights later against Coastal Carolina. He didn’t play in the first half against Findlay so his teammates could adjust to playing without him.
The Blue Devils already have a thin backcourt—Smith and senior Jon Scheyer are the only returning guards with significant experience. Smith averaged 8.4 points last season.

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But rules are rules. Thus the suspension. He should have known better. This doesn't make Duke some kind of degenerate program.
UNC and Maryland run clean programs? What about Raymond Felton in 2004 or James Gist AND Landon Milbourne in 2007? Those don't count because they don't play for Duke? Somehow that's okay but what Nolan Smith did is beyond comprehension? Some people need help.
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He WAS NOT suspended because he played with foreign players or professionals. That is actually allowed under the NCAA manual IN THE SUMMER. What he did was play in a game where they kept score and time! Apparently anytime you play in a game that keeps score and time, it must be sanctioned by the NCAA.
Coach K (who clearly stated he doesn't like that rule at all) found out Smith had played in such a game near his home. It was Coack K (via Duke Athletic Office) who immediately called the NCAA and disclosed this event. The disclosure was apparently made within a day or so of it happening...as soon as he found out. And he (and Smith) accepts the penalty without argument of any kind.
Coach K quote..."Actually it’s something that I’m not a big proponent of. I think kids should be able to play wherever they want to play. He wasn’t protesting for me. This is what every college basketball player has to know. Don’t play in a game that keeps time and score unless it’s a sanctioned game. So you never go out on the court and play in a game that has time and score. Call us up, it has to be approved by the athletic director and it wasn’t. "
Pretty classy - but I'm sure Duke haters will have a different take on it.
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Hey, you might have got the national championship, but...failing to win the last ACC championship (in fact, not even appearing in the championship game), for ANY REASON, is not "ruling the ACC".
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You need to worry about your team losing secret scrimmages to Vanderbilt at the moment.
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Wins: 35,31,26,31,27,32,22,28,30; 10 NCAA tournament appearances...1 National Championship...1 additional Final Four Appearance....7 ACC Tournament Titles...3 Regular Season Titles...a 14-9 record against UNC. You're right, Duke should get rid of him. Especially since he spends WAY to much time with things like the Olympics.
Now in the interest of fair play (and also assuming Chriss' fingers will be feverishly typing as soon as he reads this) since 2005, Duke does only have a 3-10 head up record against UNC. But using Chriss' logic, that doesn't say ANYTHING good about UNC. Because clearly Duke (and Coach K) sucks.
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What I honestly can't figure out is the rule itself. One would think that most rules are in place to prevent some perceived evil. You might not like the rule or even think it prevents the problem. But at least in most rules, you can at least see the problem being addressed. I just can't figure this one out.
Now I could see preventing a high school player from playing a "pickup" game with a bunch of players from some university. The player can choose his school, and that COULD be considered an unfair recruting move.
But a college player (of course not being paid is quite important) playing with someone from another country or a professional player? What evil is that supposed to stop? The NBA has a draft, so that the professional player is from a particular NBA team would have no bearing on where the college kid would go in the NBA (even if he were good enough to get there). I honestly can't figure out the evil that the rule is trying to prevent.
Does anyone HONESTLY know the logic behind the rule. As stupid as some of the rules are, you can at least see the logic. I just can't figure this one out. Can anyone help this old fart out? Anyone have a clue?
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Judging by UK's past NCAA violations and more than likely future ones with Cal at the helm, nothing is going on compared to what has went on at UK.
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Wall and Kelly may have had the same AAU coach but the reason Wall was investigated was because that coach paid for some of Wall's travel expenses while Kelly's family paid for his. Don't see why UK fans don't understand that.
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Must have forgot Raymond Felton got suspended 1 game for the same sort of thing.
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