hat he let Tre Demps score on him so he was going to get to that ball. Northwesterns

TORONTO -- They called it a serious mistake that Jonas Valanciunas must learn from. But otherwise the Toronto Raptors players and staff are standing behind their starting centre after he was charged with drunk driving. The 21-year-old apologized to his teammates, and will play in Wednesdays game against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, but news of his arrest drew a large contingent of media to practice on Tuesday and negative attention to a team bound for the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. "(I was) disappointed a little bit," Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said of his reaction to the arrest. "As an organization, its not something we take lightly, its not something I feel we are just going to brush aside. (But) hes a young kid ... I look at all of you here and I wonder what we were all doing when we were 21, so there are mistakes that are made." Valanciunas was arrested early Monday morning in Wasaga Beach, Ont., a popular vacation destination for college students about 100 kilometres north of downtown Toronto, and charged with having more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Police say they began investigating after a report that a vehicle went through a drive-thru with open beer bottles visible. The Lithuanian met with Ujiri for an hour on Monday, and had his "face in his hands," the GM said. He also met with Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. "I think he feels he let his teammates down, he let his fans down, the organization," Ujiri said. "Thats Jonas, hes a great kid. And I think he made some kind of a mistake, but I think the most important thing is its not going to happen again, and he understands that." Ujiri spoke to a media horde of more than 40-strong. There were nine television cameras. Valanciunas was not made available to reporters after what coach Dwane Casey said was a great practice by the sophomore centre, but issued a statement with an apology on Monday. "I hold myself to a high standard and take my role as a member of the Toronto Raptors very seriously," Valanciunas said. "I apologize to the organization, my teammates, my family and my fans, and regret any negativity this incident has brought upon them." Valanciunass first court appearance is scheduled for Collingwood, Ont., on April 22, which is a couple of days after the start of the playoffs. Valanciunas does not have to attend and so a lawyer will stand in for him. He still may face a suspension of a couple of games by the NBA, but that wouldnt come until the results of his trial which would likely be during the summer. The Raptors will decide on any further punishment such as a fine or suspension following the leagues ruling. Most of the Raptors and their families attended the Toronto Blue Jays game on a day off from practice Sunday. Ujiri said Valanciunas instead went to Wasaga Beach with his wife and some friends. The seven-footer is averaging 11 points and 8.6 rebounds a game, and his growth this season is a big part of why the Raptors are in third in the Eastern Conference and poised to win the Atlantic Division title. Casey spoke of Valanciunas much like he would a son. "Like I told him, Im upset with him and disappointed, but hes mine so we love him," Casey said. "He made a mistake, but like any other young man has probably done before, or had the opportunity before. We dont condone it, the organization doesnt condone it, and its a tough time of year to do it. But its happened. ... "We all make mistakes, its what we do after it that is how were going to be judged." Kyle Lowry said the young teammate that he views as a little brother was "sick right now" over the mistake. "Hes really hurt by it, hes really embarrassed by it, very disappointed in himself. I can tell you that for sure," the veteran point guard said. "Its just a mistake that he made, its unfortunate that it happened to such a good kid in JV, but it happened, hes 21, hes going to learn from it. Im sure hell never make that mistake again," he added. Lowry said his advice was: "Just be more responsible. We have all the benefits of having drivers and taxis. Thats it, be more responsible." Raptors all-star DeMar DeRozan said the incident was a regrettable mistake, but added the players support for each other in any situation is part of what has made Toronto one of the best teams in the East this season. "At the end of the day, were all human. We can look at everybody in here and ask them: have they done something wrong, or made a mistake in life. Its part of life. Its something you learn from and grow from." "No matter what guys go through, were always there for them, family, whatever it may be, somebodys kid is sick ... its always something, and were always there for one another. Thats big because you dont get that with every team that you play for." The Raptors said the negative news wont be a distraction to the team that has won six of its last seven games. "Not at all," Lowry said. "We had a great practice today, really spirited, really competitive, really positive vibe in there." "Ive been coaching since 79 and Ive seen a little bit of everything," Casey added. "This is very serious, a very serious matter, but its not enough to distract the team and that type of thing. "His teammates were very supportive of him, and to them its a great lesson also, the focus and the discipline you have to have in your own life to go forward." The last Raptor to be charged with drunk driving while still a member of the team was Dee Brown, who was stopped by police in 1999 in Toronto and charged with impaired driving and later convicted. But a judge found he was a victim of racial profiling and overturned the conviction. Aaron Judge Jersey . Arsenal had already scored its goals in the third round fixture when the fierce rivalry turned ugly in the final ten minutes as Walcott was being carried off on a stretcher. Bernie Williams Jersey . - The Detroit Lions have 13 takeaways this season — three less than all of last season — and the defence isnt the only unit pleased with the performance. http://www.yankeesrookiestore.com/Customized/ . Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. Sonny Gray Jersey . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. Reggie Jackson Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136.College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Dez Wells and No. 13 Maryland handed Northwestern another heartbreaking loss on Sunday. Wells acrobatic putback with 1.4 seconds remaining capped a furious comeback and lifted the Terrapins to a 68-67 victory. Northwestern appeared on its way to snapping a five-game losing streak as the Wildcats led by 11 with under 3 1/2 minutes on the clock. But Melo Trimbles three-point play ignited a 16-4 run to end the game, and the Terrapins (18-3, 6-2 Big Ten) escaped with a win three days after losing by 19 to Indiana. We almost had to be perfect after the last media timeout, and we were pretty close to that, Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. Trimble finished with 27 points and Wells added 17 for Maryland, which did not take its first lead until made Trimble made two free throws with 20.6 seconds on the clock. Tre Demps answered with a deep jumper, and Trimbles rushed 3-point attempt was off the mark. Wells, though, outjumped JerShon Cobb on the left block, grabbed the rebound and banked in the game-winner all in one motion. I didnt like the shot that Melo Trimble took butt Dez does what Dez does, Turgeon said.dddddddddddd Dez was upset that he let Tre Demps score on him so he was going to get to that ball. Northwesterns desperation heave was late and long, and Bryant McIntoshs 21- point night on 10-of-14 shooting went by the wayside. Its been a tough couple of weeks but thats part of basketball, said Northwestern head coach Chris Collins. There is a lot of good, were playing really well, but were not getting the results. We have to find a way to start getting the results. The Wildcats (10-10, 1-6) shot a staggering 69.6 percent from the field in the first half, led by as many as 14 and took a healthy 41-30 lead into the break. They missed their first five shots of the second half, but Maryland only got as close as six in the early going. McIntoshs jumper yielded what appeared to be a commanding 63-52 cushion with 3:46 remaining. Game Notes This was Northwesterns first trip to College Park ... Sanjay Lumpkin scored 12 points for the Wildcats, who committed 17 turnovers ... Maryland was outscored at the foul line 18-7. ' ' '