Former Arizona guard Josiah Turner has decided that he will attempt to play basketball professionally instead of transferring to SMU.
Josiah Turner Turning Professional, Not Transferring To SMU
Former five-star recruit Josiah Turner is turning professional. He had previously announced his intent to transfer from Arizona to SMU where he would play for Larry Brown.
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“I had to step back and reevaluate what my main goal and my dream was,” Turner told Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports. “My dream is to be a professional athlete in the NBA and I think this is what’s going to bring me closer to it. In college, you get your degree and everything, but going pro is getting me closer to my dream and what I want to do in life.”
Turner, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, had a tumultuous debut season at Arizona. He was supplanted in the starting lineup by Jordin Mayes early on in the regular season, suspended multiple times for off-court issues and missed the last four games of the Wildcats season. The trouble continued for Turner after the season was over, as he was arrested and charged with extreme DUI in May.
Turner admitted to Eisenberg that he had a problem with drugs and alcohol during his time at Arizona, but said it was the product of his youth and the environment surrounding him.
“My maturity level now is way higher than it was when I was in Arizona,” Turner said. “I was young. I made mistakes. I just learned a lot from last year thinking about where I could be at right now and thinking about the things I did last year. It was all stupid.”
In his only collegiate season, Turner averaged 8.0 points and nearly as many turnovers (2.1) as assists (2.4).
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