crews suspended indefinitely

Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl suspended starting forward Duke Crews indefinitely for violating team rules just over a month away from the official start of the 2007/2008 season.

Crews, who started in 18 games for the Vols last year as a freshman, is expected to be a major contributor this year for a UT team that has been ranked as high as the top-five nationally in preseason college basketball polls.

Pearl did not comment on the particular reason(s) for the suspension but it is not believed to be due to academic or legal trouble.

Crews will continue to use UT facilities to train and work out but he is not allowed to work with the basketball team while serving his suspension.

Crews averaged 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Vols as a freshman. He led the UT basketball team with 32 blocked shots last season and was also tops on the team with a .518 field goal percentage.

Crews was a huge pick-up for Pearl, who is entering his third year as the UT head coach, when the high school All-American chose the Vols over such college basketball powers as North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgetown before last season. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Hampton, Virginia native was the rated as the No. 26 overall player and the No. 5 best power forward in the high school basketball Class of 2006 by Rivals.com.

“Duke is a very intelligent student-athlete but has made some poor decisions,” Pearl stated in a university release Wednesday night. “It is in his, as well as the team’s, best interest that he is suspended at this time.”

Crews is one of four starters that return to a Vols team that finished 24-11 a year ago and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.