Devendorf ordered to complete community service

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf must perform 40 hours of community service and be reinstated by the university before he can play again after hitting a student.

Production issues

How Syracuse fared with and without Eric Devendorf last season (Devendorf tore his ACL in December 2007, missing the rest of last season):

Orange's 2007-08 season ...

	With	Without
Team W-L	7-3	14-11
PPG	86.2	76.1
FG Pct.	51.7	46.7
3-pt FG Pct.	38.4	32.0
3-pt FG pg	6.8	4.9

Devendorf, the second-leading scorer for the No. 11 Orange, can petition to be readmitted for the spring semester that starts Jan. 12 if he completes the community service, the University Appeals Board ruled Friday.

His suspension begins with Saturday's game at Memphis (No. 21 ESPN/USA Today, No. 23 AP). The Orange's first game of the spring semester is Jan. 14 at Georgetown.

The original decision by a judicial hearing board recommended suspending Devendorf, a 6-foot-4 junior, for at least the remainder of the academic year for hitting a female student on the jaw with the heel of his hand during an off-campus altercation on Nov. 1.

"I'm disappointed that I put myself in this position," Devendorf said in a statement. "I understand the decision and will be complying with all of the requirements of it."

The 21-year-old from Bay City, Mich., played while he appealed the suspension. Once readmitted, Devendorf will also have to perform additional hours of community service to remain a student.

"Eric clearly made a mistake and should be punished," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said in a statement. "It is his responsibility to fulfill the requirements of this decision."

Devendorf has started all 11 games this season and is averaging nearly 14 points a game. He missed 25 games last season with a torn knee ligament.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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