After losing two of its top players last fall, the men’s basketball team is getting one back. Former teammate Kwamain Mitchell received a waiver from the NCAA on Jan. 18 allowing him eligibility to play for the rest of the 2010-2011 season.

All though Mitchell has attended practices and sat on the sidelines at the games against Saint Joseph’s University and Fordham University, head coach Rick Majerus said that it is not certain if Mitchell will officially play this season.
“It is in our team’s best interest for Kwamain to play, but I don’t believe it is in his best interest to play,” Majerus said. “But the decision is his, and I will respect whatever he wants to do.”
The team, which has racked up seven wins and 11 losses so far this season, has already benefited from Mitchell’s return to the team since he was reinstated by the University on Jan. 6. While practicing for the game against Saint Joseph’s, Mitchell acted as an opposing guard against Kyle Cassity.
“You’re not going to run into too many that have his speed and his quickness and his stability,” Cassity said of Mitchell. “He’s a good guy to have at practice when you are trying to run scout team.”
Mitchell’s return to the team follows a suspension from the University in October after he and teammate Willie Reed were found guilty of violating the school’s Code of Conduct amidst allegations of a sexual assault against a female student last spring.
Both Mitchell and Reed were readmitted to the University for the spring semester, but only Mitchell has returned to the team.
In statements released from the University, the administration said that each student’s educational record, which includes academic standing and conduct performance, were considered while reaching a decision.
The administration said the readmissions process for Mitchell and Reed were considered individually.
“In Reed’s case, the educational record includes academic performance issues and several previous incidents of misconduct,” the statement said, affirming his suspension from the team.
Reed said that the decision was a mutual agreement with Reed said that the decision was a mutual agreement with the University.
“I told them I wasn’t too worried about it right now,” Reed said. “I’m going to have basketball until I can’t play anymore, so why not just take advantage of our great University? I’ll come back to the team next year stronger than ever.”
Reed said that he wants to spend the spring semester raising his GPA so that he will be eligible to play basketball in the fall, explaining that he is required to keep above a 2.0 to participate on the team.
It could not be confirmed or denied that Reed has kept his athletic scholarship this semester.
Reed, like Mitchell, must also receive clearance from the NCAA in order to be eligible for participation.
Reed, a communication major in the College of Arts and Sciences, was welcomed back by a fellow student in the hallways asking for permission to shake his hand on Jan. 18, his first day back at the University as a student since October.
Not everyone, however, shares the same sentiment with Mitchell and Reed’s readmission.
In a statement released by the female victim’s attorney following Mitchell’s return to the University, her family said they were disappointed in the administration’s decision.
“It is obvious to the family that the needs of a struggling basketball program take precedence over the University’s Code of Conduct, Jesuit principles and the safety of its female students. By accepting this type of behavior, the school has set a dangerous precedent,” the statement said.
Reed, however, said he is not discouraged.
“I’m blessed to be a part of this community and to move forward from this situation,” he said.
Mitchell, a junior in the John Cook School of Business, did not return messages from The University News, but Majerus said he is proud of him.
“If I had a son, I would like him to be Kwamain,” Majerus said. “He made one mistake his whole life, and he didn’t run away from it. He manned up to it. He’s going to make this problem become a great opportunity for him, and better yet, for our team.”