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UK Relents,
Releases Stone to Play at Louisville
The Associated Press
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| Former Kentucky
center Marvin Stone lofts a shot against VMI December 5 in
Lexington, KY. Stone didn't return to UK after the Christmas break
and the school has decided to grant a release that would allow him
to play at archrival Louisville. |
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(AP Photo: Ed
Reinke) |
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LOUISVILLE, KY (AP) � Kentucky
unexpectedly granted a release to former basketball player Marvin Stone on
Friday, allowing him to play for former Wildcats coach Rick Pitino at
archrival Louisville.
``Coach (Tubby) Smith and I met
this morning, and Coach Smith has had a change of heart,'' Kentucky athletic
director Larry Ivy said. ``He has agreed, and I also concurred, that we will
release him to the University of Louisville.''
Stone, a 6-foot-10 junior and
former McDonald's All-American at Grissom High School in Huntsville, Ala.,
can be offered a scholarship to play at Louisville after sitting out a
season under NCAA transfer rules. He would have one full season of
eligibility remaining.
``I don't know Marvin Stone,''
Pitino said. ``This may not be the right place for him. He thinks it is, but
he's got to find out exactly what Louisville basketball is all about.''
Pitino, who coached at Kentucky
from 1989-97, said he would talk with Stone about joining the program.
``We certainly need big men, and
there's certainly playing time,'' Pitino said. ``But there has to be a very
strong commitment academically, a very strong commitment to discipline, and
I won't know that until I meet with him.''
Stone is already enrolled at
Louisville, but would not be able to join the Cardinals until the second
semester of the 2002-03 season, at the earliest. He also has the option of
sitting out next season, and then playing the full 2003-04 season, according
to NCAA rules.
Stone never lived up to his
pre-college billing, averaging 5.3 points and four rebounds in about 14
minutes in nine games this season.
Stone became the first player
dismissed in Coach Tubby Smith's five years at Kentucky on Dec. 27 � only
two days before the school's nationally televised showdown with Pitino and
Louisville � when he failed to return from the holiday break.
``This came after a really
gut-wrenching few days for Coach Smith,'' Ivy said. ``Marvin's leaving the
team after the Christmas break was very, very bad timing. Normally these
things don't happen during the middle of a season.''
Copyright 2001
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:47:26 AM
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