Former Memphis Basketball Star Arrested After Running from Police; Nabbed with $20k in Jewelry

But Banks had a massive attitude problem, and as a senior, he ran into trouble with the law because he was hanging out with gang members. I was working at a newspaper in New Jersey at the time and covering Banks regularly. One moment he’d be introspective and kind; the next I’d wonder if the kid was going to slug me because I showed up at practice to talk to him following an arrest. As a senior, Banks was on a Bergen Catholic team (don’t ask how he got into the school in the first place) that had five division I players, and he was the best (the 2nd best was Adrian Joseph, who went on to play at Virginia).

Banks was fantastic as a freshman at Memphis, but, not surprisingly, ran into trouble as a sophomore (he reportedly fought with a teammate in the locker room; Calipari suspended him for being a pox on the team) and decided to enter the NBA draft. Banks wasn’t selected. He flitted about for a few years as a basketball vagabond, and then latched on in the D-League. Trouble caught up with him again this weekend – Banks was arrested near his hometown in North Jersey.

"Four Bergen County men suspected in a series of burglaries of several high-end homes, including three in March, are in custody after a high-speed police chase through Sparta that ended in a rollover crash Friday night, police said."

Banks was reportedly injured in the accident. If the burglary charges stick, I’d say that’s the end of whatever basketball dreams Banks once harbored. [Star Ledger]