NCAA suspends a dozen players for summer league play

ATLANTA - A dozen basketball players from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State face NCAA suspensions for playing in what the organization called an unsanctioned summer league, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site Friday. <br> <br> The players took part in the Kenny Smith Pro-Amateur League at Morehouse College beginning July 13. The NCAA certified the league, but sanctioned play from July 17 through Aug. 11. The players must sit out one game for each summer league game they played in before July 17. <br> <br> ``If you&#39;re going to punish somebody, punish the league,&#39;&#39; Georgia State coach Lefty Driesell said. ``Don&#39;t let them run the league next summer. Don&#39;t punish the players. They just did what we told them to do. We gave them permission to play, and we got permission from the NCAA.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Driesell&#39;s team was hit the hardest, losing seven players for one or two games, including starters Nate Williams, Leroy Davis, Lamont McIntosh and Cedric Patton. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s my whole team,&#39;&#39; Driesell said. ``I told them we&#39;d just forfeit.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Bulldogs will be without guards Ezra Williams and Damien Wilkins. Forward Chris Daniels already was scheduled to miss the Nov. 15 opener against Texas because he played in an unsanctioned game in his hometown of Albany, and center Steve Thomas is suspended for the first three games after he was charged in a campus rape. The charges were later dropped. <br> <br> Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said three of his players had been suspended, but he declined to name them.