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Minnesota Gophers basketball recruit Mbakwe requests trial delay
Felony charge could result in suspension
By Marcus R. Fuller
The attorney for Gophers star junior college basketball recruit Trevor Mbakwe wants to delay his client's trial until after the 2009-10 basketball season.
Mbakwe, who was charged with felony battery after an alleged incident April 3 in Miami that involved punching a woman, was scheduled for a hearing next week, but the court date recently was moved to December. Attorney George Samms wants to push it back further.
"People shouldn't rush to judgment until this legally takes its course," Samms said Friday.
Mbakwe, a St. Paul native and All-America forward at Miami Dade College last season, faces a possible suspension from the team after he's admitted to school, which starts Sept. 8.
The charge against Mbakwe violates the University of Minnesota's student-athlete code of conduct, Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi said.
"If he's a student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, then it's my decision as an AD what activities he can be involved in as a student-athlete," Maturi said. "I have no clue what I'll do at this time. I might be able to say, you know what, we believe that's OK to keep practicing from Day One and play from Day One. I don't know what the decision will be. My guess is I'll know that decision to some extent Sept. 8, if nothing is going to be solved legally until after the season."
Samms said Friday he wanted the trial pushed back to also make it easier it for two witnesses who were Mbakwe's teammates at Miami Dade College and now playing basketball elsewhere.
"I'm not trying to do it during the season, because not only is Trevor going to possibly be playing, but our alibi witnesses are also at different schools playing," Samms said. "All of them are basketball players, so how is that logistically going to work? I'm trying to see if there's a window that this can be done where it's the least disruptive as possible to these young men whose college careers are important."
Samms said Mbakwe's family is scared about the situation, and Mbakwe is upset because the matter won't be behind him when the Gophers are scheduled to start basketball practice in mid-October.
"He's just a kid," Samms said. "He's at a new school. He's got one of the major coaches in college basketball and he's got an administration worried about what's going on and what's going to happen. All of this is unfair, because he's been accused, and accused in the scariest of circumstances."
Mbakwe told the Pioneer Press last month that he was innocent and "the truth would come out."
Maturi, who has talked to Gophers coach Tubby Smith in detail to learn more about Mbakwe's character, said he would consider Mbakwe's innocence a possibility if he has to make a judgment on the player's status before a trial.
"Let's say this thing doesn't get resolved until next April, and I don't allow him to even practice or play and we find out he is completely innocent," Maturi said. "That poor kid would pay a heavy price. That might be the decision. I can't imply that, but we don't know."
http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_13180890
Go Gophers!!
Felony charge could result in suspension
By Marcus R. Fuller
The attorney for Gophers star junior college basketball recruit Trevor Mbakwe wants to delay his client's trial until after the 2009-10 basketball season.
Mbakwe, who was charged with felony battery after an alleged incident April 3 in Miami that involved punching a woman, was scheduled for a hearing next week, but the court date recently was moved to December. Attorney George Samms wants to push it back further.
"People shouldn't rush to judgment until this legally takes its course," Samms said Friday.
Mbakwe, a St. Paul native and All-America forward at Miami Dade College last season, faces a possible suspension from the team after he's admitted to school, which starts Sept. 8.
The charge against Mbakwe violates the University of Minnesota's student-athlete code of conduct, Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi said.
"If he's a student-athlete at the University of Minnesota, then it's my decision as an AD what activities he can be involved in as a student-athlete," Maturi said. "I have no clue what I'll do at this time. I might be able to say, you know what, we believe that's OK to keep practicing from Day One and play from Day One. I don't know what the decision will be. My guess is I'll know that decision to some extent Sept. 8, if nothing is going to be solved legally until after the season."
Samms said Friday he wanted the trial pushed back to also make it easier it for two witnesses who were Mbakwe's teammates at Miami Dade College and now playing basketball elsewhere.
"I'm not trying to do it during the season, because not only is Trevor going to possibly be playing, but our alibi witnesses are also at different schools playing," Samms said. "All of them are basketball players, so how is that logistically going to work? I'm trying to see if there's a window that this can be done where it's the least disruptive as possible to these young men whose college careers are important."
Samms said Mbakwe's family is scared about the situation, and Mbakwe is upset because the matter won't be behind him when the Gophers are scheduled to start basketball practice in mid-October.
"He's just a kid," Samms said. "He's at a new school. He's got one of the major coaches in college basketball and he's got an administration worried about what's going on and what's going to happen. All of this is unfair, because he's been accused, and accused in the scariest of circumstances."
Mbakwe told the Pioneer Press last month that he was innocent and "the truth would come out."
Maturi, who has talked to Gophers coach Tubby Smith in detail to learn more about Mbakwe's character, said he would consider Mbakwe's innocence a possibility if he has to make a judgment on the player's status before a trial.
"Let's say this thing doesn't get resolved until next April, and I don't allow him to even practice or play and we find out he is completely innocent," Maturi said. "That poor kid would pay a heavy price. That might be the decision. I can't imply that, but we don't know."
http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_13180890
Go Gophers!!