By Will Woodbery, Correspondent

KNOXVILLE — Sophomore forward Duke Crews and sophomore point guard Ramar Smith will not return to the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team, coach Bruce Pearl said Friday.

Pearl made the announcement in a release issued before the team’s annual awards banquet at the Knoxville Marriott.

Pearl did not elaborate about the cause of the dismissals but said both players “didn’t meet the mark.”

“Both were provided an opportunity to succeed here but have not met our expectations,” Pearl said in a release. “With both Ramar and Duke, we came to the conclusion that it was in their best interest to transfer to another institution in order to continue their academic and basketball careers.”

Pearl said he made his decisions with Smith and Crews separately. The two dismissals are unrelated, he said.

“They did a lot of positive things in two years, but we have very high expectations for our student-athletes on and off the court,” the coach said.

Crews served a 30-day suspension for violations of team rules after a residence hall official confiscated a small amount of marijuana in Crews’ campus apartment in September 2007. At the time, Pearl said that wasn’t the only reason for the suspension.

Tennessee guard Ramar Smith, right, is guarded by Vanderbilt's Shan Foster in the first half of a college basketball game in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

The 6-foot-7 Crews, from Hampton, Va., averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds last season. Crews was diagnosed with a heart condition in December and sat out for more than a month before being cleared to play. He also missed time in early November with an ankle injury.

Smith, from Mount Clemens, Mich., averaged 7.4 points and 2.3 rebounds last season.

E-mail Will Woodbery at sports@timesfreepress.com

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