Tar Heels likely done with Curry after felony guilty plea

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina recruit JamesOn Curry pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of marijuana possession with intent to sell, all but guaranteeing he will never play for the Tar Heels.

Approached in the lobby of the Final Four coaches hotel in San Antonio, UNC coach Roy Williams told SportsLine.com that he had decided Curry's fate but couldn't share it until meeting with the player's family in Mebane, N.C., after returning to campus on Tuesday.

"I've made a decision, but that's all I can say right now," Williams said.

According to UNC athletic department policy, current student-athletes convicted of a felony are permanently ineligible to play for the Tar Heels. As of Monday morning no such rule extended to UNC recruits, even ones who have signed a letter-of-intent as Curry has done, but the Curry case is expected to set that precedent.

Under Curry's plea, he received a suspended sentence and probation, meaning he will be able to play in 2004-05 somewhere. Curry, a 6-foot-2 guard and the all-time prep scoring leader in North Carolina history, will have plenty of options this fall -- just not the Tar Heels.

Dropping Curry from a recruiting class that includes McDonald's All-Americans J.R. Smith and Marvin Williams means North Carolina -- which had over-recruited in anticipation of someone leaving the team, either to the NBA or for other reasons -- is now at the NCAA-allowed scholarship maximum of 13 for the 2004-05 season.

That assumes Smith, whose stock has risen in the past week with eye-opening all-star appearances, doesn't enter the NBA Draft.