Jamar's decision to violate the terms of our personal agreement for his
potential return to our basketball program has left me with no other
recourse but to rescind that opportunity, said Weber. At this time, Jamar
and his family need to focus their attention on the issues that have brought
Jamar to this point. For the good of our program and players we need to
move forward and prepare for the 2008-09 season. While Jamar will always be
a part of the Illinois basketball family, I have made the decision that he
can no longer be a part of our team. Our entire team and coaching staff are
obviously very disappointed he will not be with us. We will continue to do
everything we can to help him continue his academic career and achieve his
goal of graduation.
Because of the ongoing legal and personal nature of this situation, this
statement will be the only comment released regarding this situation.
Smith, a native of Peoria, Ill., played in 53 games during his two years on
the court, starting six times. He scored a total of 425 points for an
average of 8.0 per game.