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Former NBA standout JR Smith has enrolled at North Carolina A&T and intends to join the historically black university’s men’s golf team if he gets cleared by the NCAA, the university confirmed on Wednesday.

North Carolina A&T athletics spokesman Brian Holloway told ESPN that Smith is officially enrolled in the school and has petitioned the NCAA to be eligible to play. Smith’s clock to compete as a collegiate athlete has not yet started since he went to the NBA after high school. Athletes, in most cases, get five years to complete four years of eligibility.

At the pro-am at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, Smith told reporters Wednesday he decided to go back to school after a conversation with Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen.

“Ray Allen kind of convinced me,” Smith said Wednesday at the golf event. “We had a little golf trip in [Dominican Republic] and he was talking about some of the things he was doing, about going back to school and challenging yourself for us athletes. I really took heed to it and decided to go back — and one of the best liberal studies programs is at A&T.”

Holloway said the next step in the process is navigating 17 years since Smith’s senior year in high school (2004), which complicates the search for his academic records. But Smith is actively working to gain his eligibility, he said.

“We’re just going through the normal process we would go through with any prospective student-athlete,” Holloway said. “But this one is just a little different.”

Per NCAA rules, “an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team in that sport.” But the laws do not ban a former pro athlete from competing in a different sport. Multiple collegiate athletes have played professional sports before returning to school to compete in Division I athletics.

Chris Weinke was 25 when he enrolled at Florida State after six seasons of professional baseball. Weinke led Florida State to a national title in 1999. He won the Heisman Trophy a year later, when he was 28.

Smith, a McDonald’s All-American in high school, originally committed to play for Roy Williams and North Carolina before he decided to hire an agent and enter the 2004 NBA draft. The New Orleans Hornets selected Smith with the 18th pick. Smith won two NBA titles as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2015-16) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2019-20). He also won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2012-13 season.

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No. 7 Georgia Tech down 3 starters vs. Syracuse

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No. 7 Georgia Tech down 3 starters vs. Syracuse

No. 7 Georgia Tech will be without three starters — wide receiver Malik Rutherford, center Harrison Moore and nickelback Jy Gilmore — against Syracuse on Saturday.

All three were ruled out on the ACC availability report after suffering injuries during last week’s win over Duke.

Rutherford is tied for the Yellow Jackets’ lead with 23 receptions and two receiving touchdowns this season and ranks third on the team with 202 receiving yards.

With cornerback Ahmari Harvey out for the second straight week, Georgia Tech will be down two key secondary members against an Orange passing game that is averaging 294.3 yards per game (15th in the NCAA).

The Yellow Jackets are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, while their No. 7 ranking is the school’s highest since 2009.

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UNT QB Mestemaker has record 608 yards in win

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UNT QB Mestemaker has record 608 yards in win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker passed for a school-record 608 yards with four touchdowns as North Texas scored 37 unanswered points to beat Charlotte 54-20 on Friday night.

Mestemaker completed 37 of 49 passes with one interception in breaking the record.

He covered 80 yards with three passes — the final one a 41-yard scoring strike to Cameron Dorner — on the game’s first possession to put North Texas (7-1, 3-1 American) up 7-0.

Charlotte (1-7, 0-5) answered with Liam Boyd‘s 24-yard field goal and Grayson Loftis‘ 33-yard touchdown pass to Javen Nicholas to take a 10-7 lead into the second quarter. Loftis and Nicholas then teamed up for a 64-yard score in a one-play drive and Charlotte led 17-7.

Kali Nguma followed with a 29-yard field goal and Mestemaker hit Caleb Hawkins for a 6-yard score to tie it 17-all at halftime.

Charlotte had a drive stall at the North Texas 3-yard line to begin the third quarter and settled for Boyd’s field goal and a 20-17 lead. It was all Mean Green from there.

Mestemaker passed to Tre Williams III for a 30-yard gain to the Charlotte 1 and Kiefer Sibley ran it in on the next play to put North Texas ahead. Nguma added a 41-yard field goal for a 27-20 advantage after three quarters.

Mestemaker connected with Hawkins for a 7-yard touchdown, and Wyatt Young turned a short pass into a 70-yard score and a 20-point lead after the 2-point run failed. Sibley added a 45-yard touchdown run, and Ashton Gray scored on a 32-yard run to polish off the rout.

Young finished with nine receptions for 190 yards. Dorner caught seven passes for 117 yards, and Landon Sides hauled in five for 114.

Loftis totaled 295 yards on 20-for-36 passing for the 49ers. Nicholas had seven catches for 187 yards.

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Utah QB Dampier now probable to face Colorado

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Utah QB Dampier now probable to face Colorado

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier has been upgraded to probable for the Utes’ game against Colorado, according to the updated Big 12 availability report released Friday night.

The junior quarterback has dealt with a lower leg injury this season, and coach Kyle Whittingham said Dampier “got beat up in this game pretty good” after the Utes’ 24-21 loss to rival BYU last weekend.

Dampier was initially listed as questionable Wednesday but progressed throughout the week and took reps in practice, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior, a transfer out of New Mexico, has started every game despite the injury and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in total offense with 1,375 passing yards, 442 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.

True freshman backup Byrd Ficklin played four snaps against BYU and would be in line to start if Dampier is unavailable Saturday against the Buffaloes (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Utah wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and defensive tackle Dallas Vakalahi were downgraded from doubtful to out against Colorado. Merriweather ranks second among Utes wideouts with 130 receiving yards on eight receptions this season.

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