Former Indiana All-Star pleads in pot, cocaine case

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A former Indiana high school All-Star suspended from the Tennessee basketball team after his March arrest on drug charges pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession.\nAnthony Passley was suspended from the team along with Jordan Smith by coach Bruce Pearl following their arrests on March 5.\nPassley, 21, a transfer sitting out last season, was ordered to pay a $250 fine after pleading guilty. Prosecutors dismissed a felony charge of possession of crack cocaine as part of a deal approved by Knox County General Sessions Judge Jimmy Kyle Davis.\nA grand jury will decide whether to indict Smith, a 23-year-old walk-on from Knoxville, Tenn. who played a total of four minutes last season.\nThe players were each charged with felony possession of drugs because police said 15.2 grams of crack cocaine were found in Smith's car. Police found a plastic bag of marijuana in Passley's pants pocket.\nPassley applied for judicial diversion so the charge can be expunged from his record after a year if he has no more violations. The 6-foot-5 Passley was a third-team AP All-State selection at Indianapolis North Central and was named to the Indiana All-Star team in 2004.\n"There was no evidence he possessed any other drugs other than a very small quantity of marijuana," Passley's attorney, Tommy Hindman, said.\n"Absolutely the best-case scenario. It gives him a chance to put this matter behind him and focus on his school work and all the things he needs to do if he's going to be able to continue his collegiate career," Hindman said.\nabout the plea deal.\nSmith's attorney, Steve Oberman, didn't persuade the judge to reduce the charge to misdemeanor possession or dismiss it. Oberman said there was no proof other than where the cocaine was found - in the pocket of the driver's door - that it belonged to Smith or that he intended to sell it.\n"Mr. Smith adamantly denies that he was guilty of the charges, but he was (sorry) to even place himself in the position to be suspected of the charges," Oberman said after the hearing. "He's concerned about the effect it has on both his family and the university."\nOfficers went to Smith's car because it was sitting on a sidewalk under a "no parking" sign outside a club. Officer John Holmes testified at the hearing on Tuesday that he smelled marijuana around the car. He asked Smith if he could search the vehicle, and he said Smith consented.\nVideo from the police cruiser shows the conversation between the players and police, but the audio goes silent when the officer asks if he can search the car, according to testimony.\nHolmes testified he found $100 in the car but no scales, extra plastic bags or guns to suggest a possible drug deal.\n"What the state has proven is possession, simple possession but not for resale," Oberman told the judge.\nAnother player, starting center Major Wingate, was suspended from the team last week for violating undisclosed teams rules.\nLast October, forward Jemere Hendrix was dismissed from the team after he was charged with marijuana possession and driving without a license.\nPassley was recruited by Pearl while he was coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He signed at UWM, but transferred to Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. He played one season before enrolling at Tennessee after Pearl was hired a year ago.\nPassley, of Indianapolis, is expected to be a contributor off the bench next season at forward. He was presented with the Hardest Worker Award for this season.\nPassley's younger brother, Cordell Passley, reportedly verbally committed to Tennessee last May as a high school sophomore.