Mbakwe’s Friday court hearing could result in jail time

Dec 13, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers Kendal Shell (left) forward Chris Halvorsen (middle) and forward Trevor Mbakwe (right) celebrate a basket during the second half against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Williams Arena. Minnesota defeated Central Michigan 76-56. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

Trevor Mbakwe will appear in court on Friday in Florida, and there is a chance he will face jail time. 

The Gopher forward was found guilty of felony assault in 2009 while he was playing for Miami Dade College following a season where he played at Marquette University.

The court hearing was triggered by his DWI arrest over the summer and therefore a violation of his probation (play-by-play here).

According to Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Terry Chavez, Mbakwe will either have extra probation time added or he will be sentenced to time in the slammer.

The latter possibility is obviously a big concern for Gopher basketball fans who were riding a wave of optimism after Mbakwe was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA and assured fans he wouldn’t enter the NBA draft by posting a YouTube video announcing his return to The Barn for one last run.

Tubby Smith’s Gophers will retain most of the starting crew from last season that came together in the end to make a somewhat impressive NIT run, resulting in an embarrassing loss to Stanford in the finals.

Mbakwe was out most of the season after suffering an ACL injury in November and didn’t contribute in the NIT tournament, except as a cheerleader (a great one at that), but this year’s expectations for the Gophers are high and they are expected to make it to the dance in March.

A lot is riding on Friday’s court hearing as losing Mbakwe for any amount of time will drastically hinder the Gopher’s game as they will again be short a dominant big man who can play the high-low game that was so effective two seasons ago.

Mbakwe needs to play this season to raise his draft stock – but after this latest legal encounter, he will have to prove to NBA teams that he is in the clear and healthy enough to step up to the next level.

For Coach Smith, this season may be his final season in Minnesota if he can’t take the team to the NCAA Tournament with or without Mbakwe.

The Gophers are definitely a top 50 team (which is saying a lot) with Mbakwe, if not in the top 25.

I remain optimistic he will have only probation time added, but I’m not a lawyer and felony assault is a serious crime.

This is Mbakwe’s second violation of his probation after he sent a message to his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook wall in 2011.