Drug-related arrests among college athletes have been rising rapidly. Recently, BYU’s Kennard Davis was cited for marijuana possession and driving under the influence after a car crash in Provo, Utah. Now, women’s college basketball player Paige Smith has become the latest name added to that growing list.

College basketball reporter Talia Goodman reported on Monday, Feb. 16, that Smith was arrested by police in the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina.

“A University of North Carolina Wilmington women’s basketball player has been arrested on drug charges. According to court documents, 20-year-old Paige Smith was arrested on Tuesday. Smith was allegedly found in the parking lot of New Hanover High School with approximately half a pound of marijuana that was packaged for delivery and distribution. A release order also states that a gun was located inside the vehicle at the time of the arrest, though the weapon did not belong to Smith,” the report stated.

Authorities say Smith is facing several felony charges, including possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, felony marijuana possession, and possessing controlled substances within 1,000 feet of a school. She has also been charged with maintaining a vehicle, dwelling, or place for controlled substances, along with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

The report further notes that Smith is a pre-psychology major at UNC Wilmington, where she has been enrolled since June 2025. She is also a member of the women’s basketball program, although she has been under suspension since Feb. 9.

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As reported by Talia Goodman, the program confirmed it had already suspended Smith a day before the incident and released a statement saying, “Consistent with our commitment to student privacy and the integrity of ongoing processes, UNCW will not offer additional comment.”

The situation could mark the end of Paige Smith’s college career after she joined Nicole Woods’ Seahawks as a junior transfer from a Baltimore community college.

That said, she’s also not the only women’s player to be suspended under similar circumstances lately.

Ruby Whitehorn Suffers Same Fate as Paige Smith

Tennessee removed senior guard Ruby Whitehorn from the roster after her second arrest, with head coach Kim Caldwell saying she had a duty to protect the program’s standards.

Whitehorn had been reinstated after a suspension stemming from an August arrest. On September 5, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of aggravated trespassing and aggravated burglary as part of a judicial diversion agreement related to an August 8 incident, as per ESPN.

A few weeks later, she was once again stopped by campus police, who found her in possession of marijuana. She was charged with misdemeanor simple possession/casual exchange and, as a result, was dismissed from the basketball program — a fate similar to that of Paige Smith.