Troubled former Arizona point guard Josiah Turner is turning pro instead of transferring to SMU and debuting in the Big East during the 2013-14 season.
Turner told Yahoo! Sports that he will either join the NBA D-League or head overseas.
“I had to step back and reevaluate what my main goal and my dream was,” Turner told the Website. “My dream is to be a professional athlete in the NBA and I think this is what’s going to bring me closer to it. In college, you get your degree and everything, but going pro is getting me closer to my dream and what I want to do in life.”
Turner was suspended multiple times by Arizona coach Sean Miller and was then arrested on an “extreme DUI” shortly before transferring from Arizona to SMU in April.
But SMU coach Larry Brown declined specific comment during an interview last month with SNY.tv.
“I don’t really want to comment on anybody but the thing you really try and do, though, is just get kids who can play,” Brown said then. “High-character kids and kids who want to be coached. I’ve coached every kind…Kids make mistakes and we just gotta figure out which ones want to be coached and want to do the right thing. We’re going to try hard to identify those kind of kids.”
Without Turner in 2013, Kansas State transfer Nick Russell, who sat out last season, and Illinois State transfer Nic Moore, who will sit out this season, are expected to run the point, sources told SNY.tv.
Turner said Brown handled the news well.
“He actually thought it was a better move for me to go,” Turner said. “He respected my decision. It’s my dream.”
Turner told Yahoo! that alcohol and marijuana use were “big issues” for him during his year at Arizona, but claims he has matured.
“My maturity level now is way higher than it was when I was in Arizona,” Turner said. “I was young. I made mistakes. I just learned a lot from last year thinking about where I could be at right now and thinking about the things I did last year. It was all stupid.”
Turner, who nearly landed at St. John’s when he opted to transfer, said he hopes to have a fresh start in the pros.
“I just can’t wait to show everyone that I’m a new person and that my maturity level is higher,” he said. “I lost a lot of fans, a lot of younger people that looked up to me. I want to earn them all back and take advantage of the new start.
Photo: US Presswire
UofA BJ / July 11, 2012
What a dope
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RcKchalk12 / July 11, 2012
holy fuck!!!!! what an idiot!!!! like he had great potential and everything to be a key nba guy but he needed the college experience and larry brown would have made him so much better than any other college coach. what a poor decision….. but he seems like a troublesome guy so at this point we should just forget about his name. he will be forgotten
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RcKchalk12 / July 11, 2012
and i also love it how zag mentions he almost landed at st johns when he decided to transfer….. how is that relevant?
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BostonCat / July 11, 2012
so i guess “point guard u” can claim another NBA point guard.
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gman / July 11, 2012
RcKchalk because he is a NY based writer, covers for SNY, and a lot of SJU fans read his blog.
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affolter / July 11, 2012
Wish the kid well, but he still sounds incredibly immature. Saw him play quite a bit last year and his game has some growing to do. Playing for Brown would have been a valuable experience.
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SiJessieWildcat / July 11, 2012
Best of luck JT.
It would seem that immaturity plays a role.
Any comments from his mother?
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BostonCat / July 11, 2012
now we know why zona is landing recruits: “Turner told Yahoo! that alcohol and marijuana use were “big issues” for him during his year at Arizona”
party time in mexico! i’m sure he is the only one. miller runs a good clean program with good kids.
LOL
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UofA BJ / July 11, 2012
He does actually Boston cat. That is why turner is gone. Turner is from nor cal , I don’t think he had to come to AZ to be turned on to weed.
Crack all the dumb comments u want bc AZ is going to do big things this year.
Arizona 2012-13 > UK , KU
write this one down guys
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BostonCat / July 11, 2012
and if not…miller is a joke and a failure right?
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mikemiller13 / July 11, 2012
uk, ku > ua past, present, future. next
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GasCan / July 11, 2012
Don’t worry UofA BJ, we’ll all write it down,then add it to the collection of bold predictions you make that never come true.
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UofA BJ / July 11, 2012
What predictions would those be gascan?
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UofA BJ / July 11, 2012
Can’t wait 4 this season!
Praying we meet up with KU in the tourney. Its too bad that the series hasn’t continued between the two.
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UofA BJ / July 11, 2012
Miller has coached eight years and in my opinion has a pretty good resume. It’s only getting better.
Compare millers first eight years to Cal and self’s , then get back at me.
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RcKchalk12 / July 11, 2012
^ha
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mikemiller13 / July 12, 2012
arizona in the ncaa tournament? hmmm
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GasCan / July 12, 2012
UofA BJ, this time last year, and the year before that, you were saying ‘zona would go further in the tourney than both UK and KU. You said UK could never win it all relying on freshmen (that one is funny since you are now counting on a talented freshman class to back up this last prediction). Not to mention your predictions that UK and KU would both be on probation by now. You and Jessie have been spouting the same nonsense for several years now, own it.
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UofA BJ / July 12, 2012
Never said UK would never win with freshman. And you bring shit up like it’s fact . Only prediction I made last year was about KU this coming year. I said I thought they would struggle. Big fucking deal, all these KU fans take serious offense to my opinion. Never said KU sucks or UofA is better than KU. What Arizona predictions did I make last year? My expectations were they would b good not great, thought they would make tourney, they didn’t . Point is I didn’t predict anything.
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UofA BJ / July 12, 2012
Probably three senior starters gascan?
Do u know hoops?
M Lyons
N Johnson
K Parrom
S Hill
K Tarczewski
B Ashley
G Jerret
J Mayes
A Chol
G York
Smh anyone who knows anything can see this team will be a FF contender in a down talent year in CBB.
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