Two USU basketball players suspended
Two Utah State University basketball players have been suspended from the team indefinitely and may be dismissed entirely for violation of team rules, head coach Stew Morrill said.
Senior forward Jason Williams, from Vallejo, Calif., and shooting guard Marques Crane, a transfer from Saddleback Junior College in California, each recieved two class-B misdemeanor citations misdemeanor citations for marijuana possession and paraphernalia Friday at about 10:30 p.m. Friday.
According to reports, Logan City Police responded to an anonymous noise complaint and determined the source of the disturbance to be Williams’ and Crane’s residence at 240 E. 400 North. According to the police report, and officers heard loud talking, in addition to detecting the odor of burnt marijuana.
After confronting Crane and Williams, police said, both consented to a search of the apartment and the Rich-Cache Task Force was called in. According to the report, officers found a marijuana joint in a beer can on a coffee table and issued Williams and Crane the citations.
A 20-year-old woman at the party was also cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol and providing police with false information.
Williams and former USU basketball players Cardell Butler and Quenton Harvey also faced disciplinary actions last April after receiving citations at an off-campus party .
Williams pleaded guilty April 20 to minor consumption of alcohol and interfering with a police officer. He was fined $1,015 and sentenced to 32 hours of community service and 12 months probation.
Last season for the Aggies, Williams started 27 of 29 games and averaged almost seven points and two rebounds per contest.
Crane sat last season after earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Orange Empire Conference during the 2002-03 season as a sophomore.
So far, players and coaches at the university have declined to offer any comment.
-acf@cc.usu.edu