Kentucky Guard Suspended

Freshman guard J.P. Blevins on Monday became the fourth Kentucky men's basketball player in six weeks to be suspended due to a brush with the law.

Blevins was arrested Sunday for public intoxication and was suspended for Sunday's game at Georgia Tech. Coach Tubby Smith announced that Blevins will be placed on probation and will receive counseling.

"We are very disappointed in J.P.'s actions from this past weekend," Smith said. "On a daily basis, we prepare our young men to make good decisions both on the basketball court and off."

Blevins has been the last player off the bench this year. An All-State high-school player from Edmonton, Ky., during his junior and senior seasons, Blevins has played a total of 24 minutes over three games, sitting out seven games.

Several of the defending NCAA champion Wildcats have made bad decisions off the court. On Nov. 2, Smith suspended center Jamaal Magloire, forward Myron Anthony and guard Ryan Hogan the first four games of the season for various off-season transgressions.

Magloire, a junior from Toronto, was in a car in Louisville with two people charged with possession of heroin. Anthony admitted he was driving a car owned by starting shooting guard Wayne Turner in a hit-and-run accident from 1997 and Hogan was arrested and charged with drunken driving in May.

Kentucky has played in the title game three seasons in a row, also winning the crown in 1996.

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