Towson sophomore forward Rodney Spruill knew he had to work hard to make an impact on the court, but he found out the hard way it will take just as much dedication to make one in the classroom.
Spruill, the team?s second-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, was suspended by Coach Pat Kennedy prior to the team?s loss at Auburn on Saturday so he can focus on his academics during a “minimester” class prior to the spring term.
“I kind of slacked off in my academics and I?m trying to focus on it and get back with the program,” Spruill said. “It hurts a little bit but, it doesn?t kill you.”
Spruill is close to becoming academically ineligible, and the school would not release his grade-point average, citing privacy laws. But Kennedy said he isn?t willing to risk losing one of his team?s best players for the rest of the season, so he is benching the former Walbrook standout until his grades improve.
“We are just going to put him into a position to get a lot more personal attention and not be so distracted,” Kennedy said. “Any coach who has the mentality of ?I?m going to use this player and discard him,? those are the worst coaches in the world.”
Kennedy suspended Spruill ? keeping him out of games and practices ? until his minimester performance can be reviewed at the end of the month.
Spruill, however, is confident he?ll rejoin the team in a few weeks.
“I will be out there,” Spruill said. “I can?t wait, but up until then, I have to focus on my academics and cheer on the rest of my team.”
Towson (5-7) has split its games without Spruill in the lineup, posting a 79-59 loss at Auburn and a 77-71 win against Northeastern on Wednesday night at Towson Center. In the home victory, senior forward Jonathan Pease took advantage of his second start of the year to score a season-high 20 points and grab seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Josh Thornton, a transfer from Georgetown, also has provided a boost to the lineup since becoming eligible on Dec. 19, scoring a career-high 13 points Wednesday night.
“All of our guys need to be eligible and graduate and we want to put them in position to do both,” Kennedy said. “These things can be life changing things.”
