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Knee problems kept Donte Minter off the court this year. |
Division I-A college basketball teams are allowed to have 13 players on scholarship. Virginia is now down to eight with today’s announcement that Donte Minter is no longer on the team for “personal reasons.” The move comes as little surprise considering the junior forward had not played all season, but it leaves the Cavaliers even smaller and thinner in the frontcourt.
Minter’s departure had been anticipated because of his injuries as well as rumors about his academic situation and off-court issues.
“I think it’s been ongoing. It hasn’t been something that he and I have talked about every day or anything like that,” UVa coach Dave Leitao said. “He’s going through some personal things with regard to his personal life, with regard to basketball, and obviously it has a lot to do with his future. But he didn’t walk in the office one day and say, ‘I don’t want to do this any more,’ without us having conversations about it.”
Leitao indicated that Minter will not re-enroll at UVa next semester and plans to transfer elsewhere in order to continue his basketball career.
Minter made his biggest impact as a freshman, playing in all 31 games and averaging 5.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Knee problems kept him off the court most of his sophomore season and offseason surgery apparently did little to help. Minter said before the season that he had no cartilage in his right knee (“bone on bone”) and he was unable to play in UVa’s first seven games.
His departure helps explain how Leitao could recruit five players for the 2006 class when he had nine scholarship players with eligibility remaining. Now, barring attrition, the Cavs should have the maximum 13 scholarship players on next year’s roster. But Leitao said he did not push Minter out the door.
“If we’re going to be the program and the team we want to be, I’m not going to do anything like that to cut off my nose to spite my face,” Leitao said. “I don’t believe in kicking guys out. I have a certain expectation level for how they have to conduct themselves both on and off the court. Part of that plays into – here and everywhere – that if a guy can’t perform at the level that he’s comfortable at, then that causes you to question their existence. And that’s what goes on across the country.”
Freshman center Sam Warren left the program before the season, so the Cavs are now down to three post players: Laurynas Mikalauskas , Jason Cain and Tunji Soroye . Minter and Warren both could have helped the team this year, Leitao said, at least in terms of providing depth.
“Donte happened to be the best inside scorer on the team,” Leitao said. “So you look at it and say at least I’ll have some options here and some options there. Unfortunately, those options never materialized.”
Leitao also said that point guard T.J. Bannister, slowed all season following surgery for a sports hernia, has not been practicing the past few weeks. The Cavs (3-4) will try to snap their three-game losing streak Friday night at home against Loyola (Md.).
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