Academics bench guard; backup gets high marks

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Reds' six-game winning streak broken
5/26/12
Annual Warrior Soccer Classic kicks off today
5/26/12
Dragons' rally falls short against Lansing
5/26/12
WSU baseball ousted from tournament
5/26/12
> More sports headlines

Updated 11:49 AM Sunday, January 15, 2012

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — Miami University sophomore guard Josh Sewell, who had started 11 of Miami’s first 14 games, was held out of Saturday’s contest because of academic issues, coach Charlie Coles said after his team beat Buffalo 52-51.

Brian Sullivan started at the two-guard position in place of Sewell and scored a game-high 17 points.

The Miami coach said he didn’t know he would be starting Sullivan, who has been the team’s back-up point guard, along with starting point guard Quinten Rollins.

Coles said after he arrived at Millett Hall on Saturday, “Josh greeted me with, ‘Coach, I can’t play tonight.’ I think he’ll be eligible on Monday (for practice).”

Sewell is “very serious about his education,” said Coles, who added he thinks it was just a matter of carelessness on Sewell’s part.

“We missed him some tonight,” Coles said.

Sewell is the team’s third-leading scorer with 8.2 points per game.

He also is second in free-throw shooting (78.3 percent), third in steals (13) and 3-point baskets made (15) and fourth in rebounding (3.3).

McGhee does it again: Drew McGhee scored 10 points, including nine in the second half.

That makes two straight games of double-digit scoring for Miami’s 6-foot-11 sophomore center, who had not done it once in his first 37 collegiate games.

Tough night for Mavunga: The Bulls apparently promised themselves that if they lost, it would not be because of Miami’s senior standout, Julian Mavunga, who made just 2-of-9 field goal attempts against Buffalo.

“Every team’s main goal coming in is to stop Julian, whether it’s double-teaming or zoning,” Miami guard Brian Sullivan said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Share this article