Kansas

Trouble seems to follow Kansas forward Lester Earl wherever he goes. Earl started out at LSU but left after just one season of taking extra benefits and fighting with his coach. Earl testified against LSU in an NCAA recruiting investigation before he took off for Kansas, admitting that he took money from LSU boosters. Earl got off scot-free, with eligibility intact, but left the Tiger program with probation and scholarship reductions. Now Earl is causing trouble at Kansas, too.

The 6-foot-8 forward was arrested in January for drunken driving, speeding, and driving with a suspended license. Earl pleaded not guilty. His lawyer hopes to place him in a diversion program, which could allow Earl to escape conviction by paying court costs and submitting to an alcohol evaluation. The troubled hoopster already has some black marks on his permanent record, including an arrest for failing to appear in court for other traffic charges and an unpaid speeding ticket. Coach Roy Williams suspended Earl for seven games after the arrest. Earl returned for the end of the regular season, chipping in a point here and there, but he came up short at a key moment in the Big XII tournament. With no points in the Jayhawks 58-77 loss to Oklahoma State, Earl hasn't quite worked off all those traffic violations.

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