Sophomore point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas passes the ball to forward Robert Nyakundi during a February 2011 match against Tulsa University. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

Update:

Leslee Smith, a redshift freshman, has also been cut from the men’s basketball program.

The boys have been offered a chance to keep their scholarships if they would want to continue their education at SMU.

It is up to the players to decide what their next step may be. For  Samarrippas their is no question.

“I don’t want that, I want to continue to play,” Samarrippas said.

Original story:

Not even a single week has gone by and the famous Larry Brown has cut one of SMU’s own super stars, Jeremiah Samarrippas.

It’s clear that Brown is not taking any time to warm up to the university after cutting SMU’s starting point guard.

“He basically told me that I wasn’t good enough to play for him,” Samarrippas said.

The sophomore out of Bartow, Fla. has played an influential role on the court for the Mustangs, averaging nearly 32 minutes a game during the 2011 to 2012 season.

During his first year at SMU Samarrippas helped the men’s basketball program break multiple records, including the Mustang’s first trip to a post-season tournament in over a decade.

That same season he tied for the most steals by an SMU individual in a C-USA game with six and started 30 of 35 games total. During the 2011 to 2012 season, the true point guard played in 31 games.

While getting cut from the team was a hard hit for Samarrippas, it’s only the start.

“I’ve established two years of relationships with people and that’s going to be the hardest part about leaving,” Samarrippas said.

Since hearing the news on Wednesday, the Mustang has been trying to get past the pain and back onto the hardwood.

“It’s tough for me and it’s tough for my family,” Samarrippas said. “I was excited to play with Larry Brown because he’s a Hall of Famer.”

For now, Jeremiah has to re-evaluate the remainder of his college career and take the next step – transferring.

Samarrippas has said that he has many coaches helping him find a new school, a new team and new friends.

The question of if he’ll stick around Dallas is still up in the air for Samarrippas but he’s leaving his options open.

“Right now, I’m just trying to get back out there,” Samarrippas said. “It’s just me and my family’s decision on what I’m going to do.”

Also feeling the blow of Brown’s unexpected cuts are Ricmonds Vilde and Eric Norman.

Vilde, orinally from Riga, Latvia, played his first season with the Mustangs this year after redshirting during the 2010 to 2011 season. With five starts under his belt and an average playing time of 10.5 minutes, Vilde was able to maintain a 42.9 field goal percentage.

Norman, a freshman this year, played in only nine games, averaging three minutes. The 6’6″ forward is from San Diego, Calif.

Whether or not Brown will be making more cuts is unknown.

With Samarrippas now out of the picture, there are no longer any players from SMU’s 20-win season returning to the court.