On the cusp of what was shaping up to be a promising season, the Saint Louis University men’s basketball program was knocked back a few paces after an announcement that starting point guard and team captain Kwamain Mitchell and starting center Willie Reed were no longer enrolled at the University.

The announcement came Oct. 13, right before the team began practices and public appearances in anticipation of the season. Due to internal privacy regulations, SLU officials gave no further details on why Reed and Mitchell were no longer enrolled in the University.  This came amid allegations that they sexually assaulted a female student last spring.

On May 1, St. Louis Metropolitan Police arrested and questioned three SLU basketball players after a 20-year-old female student said that she had been sexually assaulted the previous evening in Grand Forest Apartments. The players, Mitchell, Reed and a player who has since transferred to another university, were released, and no charges were filed due to insufficient evidence. However, the circuit attorney’s office’s sex crimes unit is still reviewing the case.

With no criminal charges brought against the alleged offenders, the female student, who has also transferred to a different university, pursued action at SLU through the office of student conduct. According to SLU’s policy regarding cases of sexual misconduct, “even if criminal justice authorities choose not to prosecute, the University can pursue disciplinary action.” Such action could result in dismissal or suspension.

A student conduct hearing was held Sept. 17, involving the allegations of sexual assault. Mitchell and Reed received the results of the hearing Sept. 28 that called for a one-year suspension from the University. Both players chose to appeal this decision to Vice President for Student Development Kent Porterfield, who is responsible for reviewing appeal requests brought through student conduct.

According to Reed, on Oct. 12, Mitchell and Reed received the results of the appeal, which reduced the one-year suspension to a one-semester suspension with the ability to reapply to the University after Jan. 1, among other requirements, including letters of apology to the victim, the University and the basketball program.

The statement released by the University Oct. 13 read: “Saint Louis University men’s basketball players Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed are currently not enrolled at the University. Federal law — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) — does not allow the University to release any additional information without the consent of the students involved.”

Mitchell’s attorney John Rogers told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Mitchell plans on returning to SLU inJanuary and complying with all stipulations set forth by the University.

“The administration and the appellate process found that there was no evidence to substantiate that Kwamain should be disciplined for any type of sexual assault,” Rogers said to the Post. “I anticipate that Kwamain will do everything in his power to satisfy the administration that he is a student worthy of reconsideration when he attempts to re-enroll … after the first of the year.”

Mitchell and Rogers could not be reached for comment with The University News.

Mitchell’s return in January would depend on his consent with stipulations set forth by the University, such as the letter of apology. If he did return, he would have missed 13 games and would be eligible for 17, including the whole of the Atlantic 10 Conference season.

Reed, who has denied allegations of sexual assault, said he has secured a release of his athletic scholarship from head coach Rick Majerus and does not plan on re-enrolling at the University next semester.

“We will not return to SLU.  I have asked for his release.  After a few days, they finally granted that.  This gives us an opportunity to pursue a career at other universities, and continue his education,” Reed’s father, Willie Reed Sr., said.

Reed said that he is currently exploring transferring options for the next semester, including University of Missouri-Columbia, Texas A & M and Kansas State University, but has not yet confirmed which college he plans to attend.

The transfer process may not be that easy due to NCAA regulations regarding players who have been suspended and then transfer.

Matt Mitchell, a basketball coach at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., said that if a student is suspended from a Division I school and transfers to another Division I school, they’ll have to take either a year of residency or a year off, before they can play again.

Regardless of where Reed plans to transfer, he said that he plans to redshirt for one year in efforts to lengthen his period of eligibility. When a teammate chooses to redshirt, he or she may take classes at a university and practice with the athletic team, but is prohibited from participating in games against opposing colleges.

Based on game statistics, Mitchell and Reed had been standout players since their freshman seasons at SLU. Mitchell was second-team all-Atlantic 10 last season, and Reed received an honorable mention. They were crucial pieces in Majerus’s process of rebuilding the team using quality freshmen recruits. Reed and Mitchell together averaged more than 28 points a game last season and almost 30 minutes on the court.

For two seasons the Billikens defied odds as one of the youngest teams in the nation. This season, the majority of starters were going to be experienced juniors, with freshmen supplementing and learning throughout the season.

The loss of Mitchell and Reed may impact the strength of the team. In his two seasons with SLU, Mitchell missed two games due to injury and SLU lost both matches. Now, with the departure of two of the team’s top starters and leading scorers, SLU must once again depend on underclassmen teammates.

No matter the outcome, Mike Putnam, president of SLUnatics, said that he is encouraging students to look forward and continue to support a strong team.

“This is still our team,” Putnam said. “It would be a disservice to the team if we only focus on two players being gone.”

Putnam said that the student section this year will be the best yet and that the group is moving forward full force with plans for home games and also possible road trips to big away games.

“We’ll weather the storm,” Putnam said.

Other students seem less than optimistic about the team’s future. A small gathering of students in the quad on Thursday expressed their discontent with the decision handed down by student conduct.

Freshman Bret Langer said, “[Mitchell and Reed] are our best players. We’re angry and it’s kind of an outrage.”

The SLU athletic department declined to comment on how this situation could impact ticket sales and marketing strategies for this season.

Reed, who thanked all of the fans in St. Louis, never thought he would have to leave this team.

“I am leaving from people who expected great things from us not only as athletes but as student athletes.  They expected us to bring great things to the school, academically and basketball-wise,” Reed said. “I kind of feel like a let-down and a disappointment to the fans that I can’t be there to help them out.”