Mitchell done for season; Green returns to practice

TUSCALOOSA | The ongoing saga of the University of Alabama's most notable basketball players moved a step closer to resolution on Monday afternoon, although there is still at least some uncertainty remaining.

On Monday, the UA sports Information department issued a release clarifying the status of senior JaMychal Green and junior Tony Mitchell.

"Senior forward JaMychal Green has been reinstated to return to practice with the University of Alabama men's basketball team, head coach Anthony Grant announced Monday afternoon," the release stated. "Grant also announced that junior Tony Mitchell will remain suspended for the remainder of the 2011-12 season."

Mitchell was suspended on Feb. 6 due to "conduct detrimental to the team," according to UA Grant's comments at the time. Grant also said the decision to suspend Mitchell was based on "an accumulation" of things, not a single incident.

Mitchell did not start in his final game, a Feb. 5 win over Ole Miss - the first time this season he was out of the starting lineup - but scored 14 points in 31 minutes of action. He also had to leave that game after a blow to the head, and twice left the bench to return to the training room in the second half before re-entering the game.

Alabama is 2-2 since Mitchell's suspension. The 6-foot-6 junior from Statesboro, Ga., averaged 13.1 points and 7 rebounds per game this season. He would have a year of eligibility remaining if he met conditions for reinstatement to the UA squad next season.

Green, along with teammates Andrew Steele and Trevor Releford, was suspended prior to UA's Feb. 11 game at LSU. All three made the trip to Baton Rouge but were sent back to Tuscaloosa prior to tipoff of that game. Steele and Releford were reinstated on the following Monday, but Green has missed subsequent games against Florida and Tennessee.

Earlier on Monday, Grant had said that he "did not anticipate" either Green or Mitchell seeing action in the Crimson Tide's upcoming game, a Thursday night contest at Arkansas. However, the subsequent release made no mention of Green's playing status. Grant has a regularly-scheduled 2 p.m. press conference today at which Green's status - as well as that of forward Nick Jacobs, who missed Saturday's win over Tennessee due to injury - may be addressed.