Former Illinois, St. John's G Andre Curbelo dismissed from Southern Miss team amid 10-19 campaign

Southern Miss point guard Andre Curbelo has been dismissed from the team, coach Jay Ladner announced after Saturday's 62-60 loss to Louisiana. The final straw came during Thursday's defeat to Coastal Carolina when Curbelo was ejected after picking up a pair of technical fouls.

It likely marks the end of a topsy-turvy collegiate career for the former ballyhooed recruit. As a true freshman, Curbelo was the 2021 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year at Illinois, averaging 9.1 points, 4.2 assists, 4 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game for an Illini squad that won the Big Ten Tournament title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Curbelo dazzled with fearless, no-look dishes and looked well on his way to becoming one of the most recognizable faces in college basketball.

But the dynamic, enigmatic point guard suffered a painful concussion in exhibition play ahead of a highly-anticipated sophomore season which forced him to miss 14 games in 2021-22 and derailed the preseason All-Big Ten candidate.

Curbelo transferred to St. John's ahead of the 2022-23 season where ejections, technicals and suspensions marred his one-year stint under then-Johnnies coach Mike Anderson before parachuting to Southern Miss for the final two seasons.

Curbelo averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Golden Eagles this year. Southern Miss is 10-19 overall and 5-11 in Sun Belt play.