A pretrial conference for N.C. State sophomore guard Markell Johnson and three co-defendants facing felony assault charges is scheduled for Monday morning at the Cuyahoga (Ohio) County Justice Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Johnson, Demarious Green, Michael Melton and Johnnie Pullum were all indicted in Cuyahoga County on Dec. 5.
The four are charged with assaulting Michael Blackwell, 37, in Cleveland in early October.
In 2015, Johnson told recruiting and high school sports website The Left Bench that Melton and Blackwell were mentors to him: “Living in the townhouses where I grew up, my next door neighbor Mike Blackwell taught me a lot about the game. He didn’t just tell me, he showed me and helped me.”
Under N.C. State’s student-athlete code of conduct, Johnson is suspended from the basketball team until the felony charge is resolved.
Johnson, who was N.C. State’s starting point guard for the season’s first 10 games prior to his Dec. 14 suspension, has missed the team’s last six games, including the Wolfpack’s 96-85 win over Duke on Saturday. N.C. State has gone 3-3 in those games, including 1-2 in ACC play.
The Wolfpack (11-5, 1-2 ACC) has two games later this week; the first against No. 25 Clemson at home on Thursday, and the second on Sunday at No. 8 Virginia.