On-campus thefts lead to dismissal of three Evansville players

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Freshmen guards Dupree Fletcher and Marcus Butler and sophomore guard Robert Nelson have been dismissed from the Evansville team for actions off the court, coach Steve Merfeld said Tuesday.

The sanctions apparently come as part of a police investigation into thefts near the university campus, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.

Merfeld said in a news release on the university's website that the dismissals are because of an on-campus incident last week that involved the personal property of others.

"Behavior such as this will not be tolerated," he said. "Our expectation is that everyone in the program represents the university in a positive light on campus and within the community."

The 6-foot Fletcher, last year's high school player of the year in Wisconsin, was averaging 8.3 points, two assists and 1.3 steals in 14.3 minutes per game for the Purple Aces (2-1).

The 6-3 Butler was averaging 1.5 points in 3.5 minutes.

The 6-5 Nelson was averaging four points and three rebounds in 10.7 minutes. He appeared in 28 games, including six starts, as a freshman, when he averaged three points and 1.5 rebounds.