JerShon Cobb thought about transferring, Reggie Hearn's good to go, Sanjay Lumpkin isn't

A quick update on Northwestern's personnel, including JerShon Cobb, who decided not to transfer, Sanjay Lumpkin, whose wrist injury could end his brief season, and Reggie Hearn, who should be good to go.

Academics to blame for Jershon Cobb suspension, Teddy Greenstein reports

We had speculated what caused junior JerShon Cobb to receive a year-long suspension and keep him out of a Northwestern Wildcats uniform - or whether we'd ever find out - but Teddy Greenstein reports that the problem was academics:

Subpar grades left Cobb ineligible for the fall quarter. And the talented swingman continues to struggle with left hip tendinitis -- a possible result of surgery in April of 2011 -- and was limited in summer workouts.

NU coach Bill Carmody confirmed all that in mostly general terms, saying: "He did not take care of business off the court. It definitely was an academic issue."

Academics are always one of the things widely speculated about when players become ineligible, and its not totally surprising to hear that this was the case. The odd thing is that he's apparently only ineligible for the fall quarter, but the suspension is for the entire 2012-2013 season. Greenstein says he might be able to practice with the team should his grades improve. NU's reasoning for keeping Cobb suspended for a whole season when it's not completely necessary probably revolve around the hip issue as well as a desire to retain his year of eligibility, although I'd think NU should play every body they can get as they enter Big Ten play.

It's the second time NU's stringent academic standards have hurt the team in recent months: NU didn't land guard Mislav Brzoja when the school didn't accept him due to his grades, forcing him to find another school, eventually choosing Villanova.

JerShon Cobb's Suspension And What It Means For Northwestern Basketball

JerShon Cobb Suspended For 2012-2013 Season