East St. Louis basketball star and incoming freshman forward Jeremiah Tilmon found himself in a bit of trouble with the law and Tigers coach Cuonzo Martin before the five-star signee could make his official Mizzou debut.
MU Police arrested Tilmon, 18, early Friday morning on a charge of minor in possession of alcohol, MUPD spokesman Major Brian Weimer confirmed to the Post-Dispatch on Monday.
The Columbia Daily Tribune first reported the news of the arrest.
Weimer said Tilmon, who was driving alone on Tiger Avenue near Hospital Drive, was stopped for a lane violation shortly after 1:40 a.m. on Friday. Police then detected the odor of alcohol.
Weimer said Tilmon performed and passed field sobriety tests, which eliminated a chance of a DUI charge. But a minor in possession of alcohol is a zero-tolerance violation. Weimer said he could not disclose if Tilmon admitted to officers that he had consumed alcohol.
"He had been drinking, and he was underage," Weimer said.
Possession of alcohol by a minor is a class D misdemeanor for a first-time offender. Minors can be cited if they are visibly intoxicated. They do not have to caught purchasing or consuming alcohol.
"The Mizzou men's basketball program and head coach Cuonzo Martin are aware of the incident, and the matter will be handled internally," team spokesman Patrick Crawford told the Post-Dispatch.
The 6-foot-11 Tilmon was a two-time Post-Dispatch All-Metro selection with the East St. Louis Flyers. The top-50 prospect, a key member in Martin's top-10 recruiting class, initially signed with Illinois, but flipped to the Tigers after a back-and-forth recruitment that included the firing of Illini coach John Groce and the hiring of Martin.
Tilmon reported to campus at the beginning of the month to begin workouts with the team, and had since drawn praise from the coaching staff for his on-court performance.
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