After initially suspending senior guard Jerime Anderson indefinitely following his arrest on July 26 for an on-campus laptop theft, UCLA has announced that they were reducing his suspension to two games in light on Anderson pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts (appropriation of lost property and trespassing). According to the deal that Anderson received from the court he will have to serve 300 hours of community service and if he stays out of trouble for the next two years his the appropriation of lost property charge will be expunged from his record.
Anderson, who averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.6 APG as a back-up to Lazeric Jones last season, gained a measure of notoriety for his reported involvement as the host of a large party soon after his initial suspension (he later removed his name away from the party and reportedly did not attend). In a statement released by the school, Ben Howland said, “Now that the legal proceedings in conjunction with Jerime’s arrest have been finalized, I am re-instating him to the team with a two-game suspension. Jerime has been very remorseful in acknowledging his mistake and accepting responsibility for his actions. I believe he has learned a valuable lesson.”
As a result of the suspension, Anderson will miss UCLA’s exhibition game against Cal State San Bernandino on November 6 and their regular season opener against Loyola Marymount on November 11. Once he returns, Anderson and the rest of the Bruins will have two more games to get used to playing together before they face their first true test of the season, a match-up against either Kansas or Georgetown on November 22.