"If I had not seen some commitment, some willingness to succeed, I never would have gotten involved," Thompson told The Washington Post when he signed Iverson. "There's nothing at all wrong with Allen's ability to read or write. That's what I found very encouraging. He's an extremely bright young man. He just needs the discipline and direction to succeed."
In general, Williams said he's more inclined to offer second chances to players who attend class regularly and show remorse for any misdeeds.
"Does the kid understand the situation? Does he understand the changes he needs to make?" Williams said. "Anybody who's had kids or worked with kids knows they all make mistakes. And they all deserve second chances if they show that understanding and that commitment."
Players backslide into trouble, he said, when they enter college situations with little structure or monitoring.
"You can't just say, `I'll see you at practice,' and leave it at that," Williams said.
Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow has noted Gary Williams' promises to mentor Evans. But the coach has said he would not have recruited Evans if he thought the player needed special attention.
Evans was charged last year with felony possession of marijuana and intent to distribute. He pleaded to a misdemeanor and received a 12-month jail sentence with all but one month suspended. In 2006, he pleaded to misdemeanor assault after he and others were accused of the 2004 statutory rape of a 15-year-old classmate at the Winchendon School in Massachusetts.
Evans has said he will make the most of a chance at Maryland and his junior college coach has vouched for his character.
childs.walker@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Don Markus contributed to this article.
