News-Record.com

Wake Forest's basketball team will have to play the first semester — typically eight to 10 games — without occasional starter Jamie Skeen, suspended Tuesday by coach Dino Gaudio for an unspecified violation of the university's academic policies.

Skeen averaged 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 18 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2007-08, and he started six times.

"Jamie is an outstanding young man with much to contribute to Wake Forest, both on the basketball court and to the university," Gaudio said. "However, sometimes good people make poor decisions, and that is what happened here. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for the young man that will help him grow as a person."

Skeen's absence won't be as profound as it would have been a year ago, when the program was short on experience and personnel. Wake expects to have at least 11 scholarship recipients in addition to Skeen, and there are signs that Al-Farouq Aminu will make it 12.

Aminu, widely considered one of the top 10 high school players in the Class of 2008, was arrested March 28 and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and with criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, in connection with a March 14 incident in which a woman was shot with a BB gun fired from a car, the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Sheriff's Department said. Authorities have not identified the shooter. Two of Aminu's Norcross High School teammates also were arrested.

Aminu played as scheduled in the Jordan Brand Classic, a Nike-sponsored All-Star game April 19 at Madison Square Garden. Gaudio has not commented on Aminu's status, but on June 6, Wake released a statement indicating the program's three incoming freshmen, including Aminu, had chosen jersey numbers for the 2008-09 season.

Since Aminu's booking, there has been little legal activity in the matter. As of Tuesday afternoon, the case had not been scheduled for trial, according to the administrative office of courts for Gwinnett County.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com