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Richmond has released guard De’Monte Buckingham from its basketball program, citing a “violation of Athletics Department policies,” the school announced on Wednesday. The exact nature of the violation was not disclosed.
Head coach Chris Mooney said in a statement:
“I want to thank De’Monte for his contributions to our program over the last two years. We wish him well in the future.”
Buckingham’s loss is a huge blow for a Richmond team that is looking to rebound from a 12-20 season — its worst since 2006-07.
The sophomore averaged 12.2 points and 3.4 assists per game last season and led the team in rebounds per game at 7.0. He also shot 39 percent from three during conference play.
Just a couple weeks ago, the future looked bright for the Spiders’ program, with all major contributors from 2017-18 expected to return. But in addition to losing Buckingham, Richmond has also lost Khwan Fore, who was granted his release on April 3. Fore led the team in minutes per game and averaged 11.0 points to go with it.
Buckingham will finish the spring semester at Richmond, then is expected to transfer, according to richmond.com. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.