Nearly three years ago now, Deadspin’s Will Leitch had this to say about former Illinois guard Jamar Smith:

Who’s Jamar Smith, you ask? Oh, you’ll know very soon. He’s the Illini’s freshman shooting guard whose 3-point touch is like a tip-in. We mean that almost literally; the quickness and accuracy of his release resembles nothing less than a tip-in from a normal player. Before you even realize he has been passed the ball, it’s on the way to the hoop. It’s the damndest thing, and we’re absolutely obsessed with the guy.

This was true; he buried threes against my Hoosiers that year. Smith had much promise. His sophomore year wasn’t quite as star studded and then, suddenly, he crashed his car while drunk and nearly killed teammate Brian Carlwell. Smith was charged with an aggravated DUI. Bruce Weber suspended him for the next season. He got probation from the courts. Then he violated said probation this summer because he admitted to drinking a few beers to police outside of Fubar on Green Street in Champaign — drinking was a no-no under his probation. He has since been booted from the team.

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