NCAA Tournament heroes Korie Lucious and Joe Mazzulla both get arrested

The end of August in college towns only means one thing -- the students are back. And if you harken back on your days as a collegian, I think you'll remember some pretty legendary nights during those first days back at school.

No one has home work yet and many finally feel the freedom that comes with being released from a summer in your parents house. You head to a party, the booze is flowing, you're with all your friends, you see that cute blonde you had such a crush on. Basketball players aren't immune to it just because everyone knows who they are.

But they aren't immune from suffering the consequences when they aren't responsible after they put a few away, either.

Take Korie Lucious, for example. At 2:20 am, on Monday morning, Lucious was arrested for drinking and driving. He blew a 0.09. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08, which means that Lucious' crime in and of itself is not horrific. He wasn't driving blacked out; he simply had one beer too many. It seems as if he was at least attempting to be responsible. I'm not justifying what he did, but, well, I guess I am downplaying it a little. There's a difference between slapping someone in the face and hitting them over the head with a baseball bat, just like there's a difference between blowing a .20 and a .09 when you are pulled over for a DUI.

Korie Lucious hit the game-winner against Maryland in the 2nd round.
(photo credit: NY Post)

The bigger issue is that Lucious doesn't turn 21 until November 5th, which completely changes the context of the charges. Not only was he driving over the legal limit, but he was driving over the legal limit as a 20 year old. That's a much different story.

Lucious was given a ticket for Operating While Intoxicated. Tom Izzo released a one sentence statement, simply saying "We're aware a ticket was issued, and we're still gathering information." According to the Detroit Free Press, "Lucious posted bond of $200 and has 10 days to be arraigned in East Lansing’s 54-B District Court."

And then there is Joe Mazzulla and Dalton Pepper from West Virginia. Both Mazzulla and Pepper were issued citations for urinating in public in downtown Morgantown on Saturday.

For Pepper, this doesn't seem like that big of a deal. He will likely face a fine, a (stern) warning from Bob Huggins not to mess up again, and will almost assuredly get himself into shape with the sprints he is going to be forced to complete.

It will be a little different for Mazzulla. This is the third time the feisty point guard has had a run in with the law since he has been a Mountaineer, and all three times have seemingly involved drinking. Two years ago, Mazzulla was arrested when he and Cam Thoroughman got into a scuffle with some off duty cops at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Last April, Mazzulla was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in a Morgantown bar. He was suspended for much of the summer before finally being reinstated to the team in early September.

Joe Mazzulla had 17 points against in Kentucky in the Elite 8 to send WVU to the Final Four.
(photo credit: AP)

Public urination is one of the pettier offenses someone can commit. Every single male that has ever set foot in a bar has peed between cars, or down an alley, or on a tree, or in a bush, or somewhere else that is wildly inappropriate during a night out. It happens. And if you happen to get caught, you have to suck it up, pay the fine, and pay more attention to where the cops are when you decide to whip it out.

But for someone with Mazzulla's prior arrests, the punishment will likely be more severe. Huggy Bear certainly can't be pleased that the kid that is supposed to be his team's senior leader now has as many alcohol-related offenses as he does years of eligibility used.

Huggins released a statement saying that he is aware of the incident and that it will be handled internally.

Mazzulla, Pepper, and Lucious are college kids. They made the same mistakes that so many college kids around the country do every single weekend of the school year. Do they deserve to be punished? Absolutely.

But let's keep it all in perspective.

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No. 9: 2009-2010 Team Preview: West Virginia Mountaineers

2008-2009 Record: 23-12, 10-8 Big East (t-7th)

Key Losses: Alex Ruoff (15.7 ppg, 3.3 apg)

Key Returners: Da'Sean Butler (17.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Devin Ebanks (10.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Truck Bryant (9.8 ppg, 2.9 apg), Joe Mazzulla (5.6 ppg, 3.7 apg)

Newcomers: Dalton Pepper, Danny Jennings, Deniz Kilicli

Da'Sean Butler might be the best player in the country you never hear about.
(photo credit: ESPN)

It didn't take long for Bobby Huggins to mold West Virginia into his kind of team. In his third season at the helm, Huggy Bear is at the helm of the best Mountaineer team in recent memory.

Last season, West Virginia was a team known for their toughness on the defensive end and their ability to hit the glass, especially on the offensive end. Not much will change this season, as the Mountaineers return their entire front line. The best of the bunch is 6'9" Devin Ebanks. Ebanks developed into one of the most productive freshman in the country by the end of last season, especially in the Big East Tournament (he twice set career highs of 20 and 22 points, and set his career high in rebounding with 18). Still quite raw, where Ebanks excels is using his exceptional tools. He is long, active, athletic, and very tough. Most of his offense last season came in transition, on the offensive glass, or off of assists. Where he really struggled was with his perimeter jumper, to the point that he stopped shooting threes all together. He also needs to improve his handle to effectively transition to the three full time, but if he put in the work this summer, Ebanks has all the potential in the world to be a big time player for WVU.

Joining Ebanks up front is a slew of guys standing about 6'8". Senior Wellington Smith started at center last season, and there is no reason to expect that to change. A tough rebounder (especially at the offensive end as he grabbed more offensive rebounds than defensive) and with a fantastic leaping ability, Smith is probably the Mountaineers best interior defender. He can also step out and knock down a perimeter jumper if he is left open. A lot is going to be expected out of sophomore Kevin Jones after he had a productive freshman season off the bench. Jones is not the best athlete in the group, but he might be the strongest and plays as hard as anyone in the country. Junior Cam Thoroughman played sporadically throughout the season, but he is a tenacious offensive rebounder that will play defense hard. Junior John Flowers is not as strong as the other three, but is more of an athlete and can defend on the perimeter as well. Freshman Danny Jennings, a top 100 recruit out of St. Thomas More, will also provide some quality minutes up front. Another freshman, Deniz Kilicli, may see some time at the end of the season, but was recently suspended for the first 20 games but the NCAA for playing on a team in Europe with a professional.

In fewer words, the West Virginia front line is going to be deep, they are going to be tough, and they are going to be athletic. These six guys are essentially interchangeable, which means that minutes are going to be difficult to come by. Playing for Huggins, these kids are going to be asked for defense, physicality, and rebounding out of this group. Whoever provides that, on what may become a game-to-game basis, is going to be who plays. These guys are going to work hard every minute they are on the floor, so if you don't box out against WVU, they are going to kill you on the glass.

Where WVU struggled last season was in the half court. Losing second leading scorer Alex Ruoff is going to hurt them offensively, but the Mountaineers did catch a couple breaks this off-season as both Truck Bryant and Joe Mazzulla will be returning to the team (both players were suspended indefinitely over the summer for off-the-court issues). Mazzulla was a key player for West Virginia in 2007-2008 when the Mountaineers upset Duke en route to a Sweet 16 appearance. Mazzulla is a perfect glue guy at the lead guard spot. He defends, he rebounds, but most importantly he was able to get into the paint a create opportunities for others. He missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, but he should be healthy to start out this year.

Bryant, a sophomore, proved to be a worthy replacement last season. Also a tough defender, Bryant is a better scorer than Mazzulla, but not quite as good of a creator. Bryant struggled with his decision-making at times, but it was nothing you wouldn't expect from a freshman forced to start in last season's rugged Big East. I'd expect these two to share the back court quite a bit this season, as it would provide Huggins with two guards capable of getting points on the board in a half court set.

The guy that is going to carry the load for the Mountaineers will be Da'Sean Butler. Butler is one of the best kept secrets in the country, leading the Mountaineers with 17.1 ppg last season. He is an above average jump shooter, especially when he gets time to get his feet set. This will be all the more important for WVU with Ruoff's graduation, as Butler is really the only shooter they are going to have on the floor much of the time. While he is 6'7", long, and mobile, he is not the most explosive player and struggles at times when putting the ball on the floor. When he does get into the paint, he is able to finish, either by going up strong or by using a floater. Butler does excel around the rim, however, as he is a good offensive rebounder from the wing and has shown a decent post game. If Butler can improve his ability to create shots for himself form the perimeter using the dribble, he might be the most dangerous wing scorer in the Big East.

Freshman Dalton Pepper is another guy that will see some time on the perimeter. Pepper is a similar player to Butler. More of a small forward than a two guard, Pepper has three point range, but is not a shooter. At 6'5", he has shown the ability to score on the offensive end, but is known more for his ability to defend, his smarts, and his potential to be a system guy.

Outlook: West Virginia is going to play a lot of low scoring games this season. This team is built around toughness on the defensive end and on the glass. With the athletes on their team, they can use so many potential line-ups. They can go small by sliding Butler to the three, or even the four with Ebanks inside, and playing two point guards. Or they can also go big by putting him at the two and allowing Ebanks to play the wing. Whatever Huggins decides to do, when you play West Virginia you better be read for a physical battle.
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West Virginia's Joe Mazzulla reinstated.

West Virginia caught a huge break over the weekend as point guard Joe Mazzulla was reinstated to the team.

Mazzulla was suspended indefinitely after an altercation at a bar in April that ended up with him getting arrested for the second time in nine months (he was also arrested for scuffling with some cops at a Pittsburgh Pirates game).

Mazzulla missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, but he has been granted a medical waiver and will still have two season's of eligibility.

Joe Mazzulla has been reinstated by Bob Huggins.
(photo credit: About.com)

Bob Huggins has a ton of talent on his roster this season, especially along their loaded front line which includes two potential first team all Big East forwards in Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks.

But the Mountaineers did not have a single point guard available on their roster. Not only was Mazzulla suspended, but last year's replacement Truck Bryant is also currently suspended indefinitely. He was charged in a hit-and-run back in July.

As is standard with a Bob Huggins team, West Virginia could defend and rebound with anyone in the country last season. But even with Bryant on the floor, they struggled at times to get points. With last year's leading scorer Alex Ruoff graduating, having a point guard to run the offense and create scoring chances is that much more important this season.

All told, WVU looks like they will be one of the teams competing with Villanova for the Big East crown this season. Their projected line-up:

• G - Joe Mazzulla
• G/F - Da'Sean Butler
• F - Devin Ebanks
• F - John Flowers/Kevin Jones
• F - Wellington Smith
• Bench - Truck Bryant, Cam Thoroughman, Dalton Pepper
  

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JOE MAZZULLA ARRESTED: Not sure how we missed this. Bobby Huggins is considering kicking PG Joe Mazzulla off the team after he was arrested for the second time in nine months at the end of April (back in July, he and teammate Cam Thoroughman were arrested after scuffling with some off-duty cops at a Pirates game). According to the article, Mazzulla got into an argument with a woman at the Lazy Lizard, a Morgantown bar, and grabbed her by the neck, snapping her head back.

This could be it for Mazzulla. WVU needs to free up two scholarships for their incoming class of freshman, and Mazzulla has become expendable after the emergence of freshman Truck Bryant this season. Continue reading...