Former La Salle standout Murray arrested on marijuana charge

Aaric Murray, 22, who led the La Salle University men's basketball team in scoring last season as a sophomore, was arrested by Philadelphia police about 9:50 a.m. Thursday on charges of possession of marijuana.

Police said Murray, now a junior at West Virginia University, was apprehended after an officer saw him walking along the 1700 block of South 20th Street in the city's Point Breeze section while smoking marijuana.

Murray, a 6-foot-10 forward, announced in May that he was leaving La Salle to transfer to West Virginia. He has to sit out this season before he can play for the Mountaineers, although he is allowed to practice with the team. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

The former Glen Mills School star averaged a 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocked shots at La Salle last season, but he was benched twice by coach John Giannini.

Murray went to La Salle from Glen Mills as a naturally talented but raw prospect with little knowledge of how to play the game, and he frequently frustrated the La Salle coaching staff by losing focus and lapsing on defense.

Murray began playing organized basketball as a 16-year-old at Glen Mills, a residential school for court-adjudicated male delinquents of high school age. He was recommended to Glen Mills because of truancy. In an interview during his freshman year at La Salle, Murray said attending Glen Mills changed his life.

In his first game at La Salle, Murray had 16 points and 11 rebounds in an 83-80 win over Hampton. His double-double was the first by a La Salle freshman since Michael Brooks on Nov. 29, 1976.