UCLA reinstates Dragovic
espn.com
Updated: November 25, 2009, 2:05 PM ET
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA reinstated Nikola Dragovic on Wednesday after the Serbian forward's two-game suspension for his arrest in an assault case.
Coach Ben Howland cleared the 21-year-old senior to practice with the Bruins on Wednesday, and said he'll play in Thursday's 76 Classic opener in Anaheim against Portland.
"Based on the information we have right now and what we know about the situation, I sat down with [athletic director] Dan [Guerrero] and we've been discussing this," Howland said. "We just felt like he's been suspended for the two games, and based on what we know right now, it would be the right decision to let him play."
Dragovic hasn't been practicing with the Bruins since he was suspended last Friday. He missed games against Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine.
Howland said Dragovic won't yet reclaim his spot from James Keefe in the Bruins' starting lineup. Dragovic is the Bruins' only returning starter this fall.
Dragovic's lawyer, Jon Artz, said his client will plead not guilty after being arrested last week on a felony warrant which alleges Dragovic knocked a man into a glass case during a concert in Hollywood.
Artz says the other man was the aggressor, was drinking heavily and had slapped Dragovic's roommate. He claims Dragovic attempted to leave, but was followed from the third floor of the theater by the man, who said he had a knife and threatened to kill Dragovic.
"We're pretty confident that once we show what happened upstairs, the spin in this case that Nikola was the bad guy will take a different spin," Artz said.
Dragovic voluntarily filed a report with campus police a week after the incident, and believed the incident had been written off as a minor scuffle. He was "unpleasantly surprised" to be arrested the following month, Artz said.
Dragovic also was suspended for one game last season on suspicion of pushing his former live-in girlfriend to the ground during a dispute. He was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and though prosecutors decided not to file charges, Howland said the incident would be taken into account in determining Dragovic's punishment.
Artz said Dragovic's arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 21.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
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Nikola Dragovic, accused of felony assault, is reinstated by the Bruins
The UCLA forward is expected to come off the bench Thursday against Portland. It's not the first time UCLA has reinstated Dragovic while he faces prosecution.
By David Wharton
The Los Angeles Times
November 26, 2009
After two games under suspension, UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic has been reinstated despite a felony assault charge against him in connection with a fight at a Hollywood concert last month.
The senior will not regain his starting position immediately but is expected to come off the bench against Portland at the 76 Classic on Thursday night, Coach Ben Howland said today.
"Based on what we know right now, we thought it was the right decision to allow him to play," Howland said. "It's a decision that I sit down with my boss or bosses and discuss. So, it's not just my decision."
The announcement followed a meeting between the coach and Athletic Director Dan Guerrero.
"Based on the information available to us and in consultation with our legal counsel, we feel the two-game suspension for Nikola Dragovic is appropriate at this time . . ." Guerrero said in a statement e-mailed to The Times. "While Nikola has been charged, nothing has yet been proven. We will continue to monitor the legal proceedings closely and, of course, reserve the right to impose additional sanctions should the situation merit them."
This is not the first time UCLA has decided to play Dragovic when he faced prosecution.
At the start of last season, he was arrested for allegedly pushing a former girlfriend to the ground during an argument. The Bruins reinstated him after a one-game suspension.
The case stretched into December before the city attorney decided not to file charges, leaving open the possibility of revisiting the incident within a year.
"That event was mostly an argument," said attorney Jon Artz, who represented Dragovic then and now. "They were breaking up, and there were some heated words."
The more-recent incident occurred at the Henry Fonda Theater on Oct. 24. According to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, it began when Dragovic's friend Aleksandar Stanisic argued with a man and his girlfriend during the concert.
After the show, prosecutors allege, Dragovic charged the man and pushed him into a glass display, which shattered. The alleged victim suffered a lacerated Achilles tendon.
Prosecutors said that while the two men were on the ground, Stanisic began punching the alleged victim until security and bystanders intervened.
Speaking for his client, Artz offered a different account of the altercation. He said the alleged victim was actually the aggressor, following Dragovic through the venue. Artz said the victim claimed that he had a knife.
"He was drinking heavily," Artz said. "He slapped Dragovic's roommate."
Dragovic subsequently reported the incident to campus police and team officials. Artz said the player expected nothing more to come of it.
But after several weeks, the district attorney filed charges against Dragovic and Stanisic on Friday, and an arraignment was scheduled for Dec. 21.
Dragovic will plead not guilty, and it might take three months to a year for the case to reach trial, if it goes that far, Artz said.
By that time, the basketball season could be over.
"I would suggest to UCLA and anybody else, let the evidence play out," Artz said, adding: "He should be allowed to play."
The university said it could place Dragovic back on suspension if new information comes to light.
The Belgrade native is normally soft-spoken, not given to losing his temper on court, but has a history of troubles since joining the Bruins.
In addition to legal matters, he served a 10-game suspension as a freshman after the NCAA discovered he had played with professionals on a club squad back home.
This season, he is the only returning starter on a young roster, a player who averaged 9.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 2008-09.
Dragovic has been at practice and games but has remained in street clothes. He was expected to participate in drills today and might need time to work back into the starting lineup.
"I think he's been doing some running, conditioning, shooting if he can," Howland said. "But James Keefe will start at power forward and he'll have to come in off the bench."
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