KU basketball assistant Jerrance Howard fined for marijuana misdemeanor

Jerrance Howard, an assistant men’s basketball coach at Kansas, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana last summer while in his hometown of Peoria, Ill., the Peoria Journal Star reported on Wednesday afternoon.

Howard was charged in July 2014 with unlawful possession of cannabis, a Class B misdemeanor in Peoria County, and was ordered to pay $1,178.26 in fines and was placed on six months of court supervision, according to the report. The six months of court supervision was set to end on Friday.

Kansas coach Bill Self told The Star on Wednesday evening that he first became aware of the situation late Wednesday afternoon. Self declined comment beyond saying he was still deciding on a course of action.

“It’s an internal matter,” Self said. “It will be handled like all personnel matters.”

Howard, 34, who played for Self at Illinois, is in his second year on the staff at Kansas. Before coming to Kansas, Howard spent one season as an assistant at SMU under Larry Brown. Howard previously worked five seasons at Illinois for Bruce Weber, who is now at K-State.

Known for his personality and enthusiasm, Howard is known as one of the college game’s more effective recruiters. During his time at Kansas, he was instrumental in landing freshman forward Cliff Alexander.

This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 6:33 PM with the headline "KU basketball assistant Jerrance Howard fined for marijuana misdemeanor."