Nova's Redding suspended for semester

Villanova guard Reggie Redding was suspended from team activities for the fall semester by the school today because of his arrest last month for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The Wildcats' 2009-10 schedule will not be finalized until next month, so it is unknown how many games Redding will miss.

Redding, a senior, is eligible to return to the team following the conclusion of the fall semester on Dec. 18, "at the discretion of his coach and the athletic department," a university statement said.

The Wildcats played 11 games during the first semester of the 2008-09 academic year. They have three games scheduled this season at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off beginning Nov. 19 against George Mason.

Under the terms of the suspension imposed by the university, Redding will remain enrolled, attend classes and practice with the team, but he will not be able to travel nor play. According to the statement, the university said Redding "has lost his status as a 'student in good standing,' for the fall semester."

"I am in support of the university's decision," Villanova coach Jay Wright said in the statement. "I believe the process was respectful and fair to Reggie. He is a quality person who, with the support of his great family, met this head-on and has learned a valuable lesson from this experience."

Redding was arrested by Radnor Township police in the early-morning hours of July 28 after officers were summoned to investigate an incident involving a black car hitting a small pedestrian-crosswalk sign near the South campus dormitories on South Ithan Avenue.

A police report said that while police were looking at a car owned by Redding, officers noticed a "clear bag containing a green leafy vegetable matter in the center cupholder" of the car, and a grinder.

Police said Redding was not impaired and cooperated fully with officers. He was released a short time after being arrested, and he has a hearing scheduled Aug. 20 before District Justice David Lang of Newtown Square.

Redding, a graduate of St. Joseph's Prep, was a starting guard last year on the Villanova team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1985. He was expected to be a leader of two incoming freshmen guards joining the Wildcats - Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek.