Last Friday, Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover were among a group of freshmen on the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team who attended a meeting where they were indoctrinated about the do's and don'ts of life as a student-athlete.
As they were dismissed and headed out to enjoy a three-day holiday weekend, associate head coach Greg Gard offered some words of warning. Be safe this weekend, use good judgment and stay away from foolishness, Gard told them.
Instead, Taylor, of Bolingbrook, Ill., and Glover, of Haymarket, Va., spent much of the weekend in the Dane County Jail.
The two were arrested Sunday on charges of burglary and underage drinking after university police said they admitted to entering unlocked dorm rooms in Sellery Hall without permission and taking iPods, a cell phone and over $400 in cash.
Most everyone connected with the players are devastated by the arrests that, with a guilty verdict, will in all likelihood end their careers with the Badgers before they really started. It's an inexplicable turn-of-events for two young athletes who apparently had stayed out of trouble in the past and had bright futures.
"This is a hard time right now; a very, very hard time right now," said Taylor's stunned father, Kimrossi Taylor, who added that this was his son's first arrest. Glover's mother, Cynthia Glover, said she didn't wish to comment.
And while neither of the 6-foot-3 guards were expected to play major roles with the team during the upcoming season, it potentially puts the program in a hole as it may be forced to replace two promising athletes with tremendous upsides.
"I have no idea what happened. This is a total shock. It's totally unexpected," said UW assistant coach Howard Moore, who added that the UW coaches were notified of the arrests on Sunday.
"They came from great families and are supposedly great character kids. It doesn't make any sense," Moore added.
After the players' arrests, the UW athletic department announced it was suspending them from "competition and practice pending the availability of further information relating to their cases."
The Badgers are deep at the guard positions for this season. They are anchored by seniors Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon, junior Tim Jarmusz and sophomores Rob Wilson and Jordan Taylor.
Thus, Taylor and Glover were candidates to redshirt this season so they could focus on getting stronger.
Both guards came to Wisconsin with impressive resumes.
Taylor was named the most valuable player of the Herald News Boys Basketball All-Area team last season after leading Bolingbrook to a 20-7 record. He also was named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association second team 3A/4A all-state after averaging 14.4 points per game.
Prior to his senior year, Taylor played at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Ill. His teammates there included Demetri McCamey (Illinois) and Tony Freeman (Iowa). He transferred to Bolingbrook so he could play under his father, who is an assistant coach there.
Glover is a walk-on who came to UW with an opportunity to play his way to a scholarship.
Last year, he led Flint Hill High School in scoring (17.8), rebounds (7.6), steals and blocks. His team finished with a 25-5 record and earned a second-straight conference championship and a spot in the state tournament semifinals.
Posted in University, Crime_and_courts, Men on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 7:30 am Updated: 8:55 pm. | Tags: Diamond Taylor, Jeremy Glover, Uw Men's Basketball, Badgers,
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