Within hours of an apparent drug bust, police called Bryce Dejean-Jones and cleansed a student-athlete merely involved in a raucous apartment room. Misdemeanor drug charges were dropped for marijuana, removed entirely, but not the stain attached to the remainder of Dejean-Jones’ final collegiate season at Iowa State. No charge in a courthouse, and only a guilty verdict in the public.

From USC to UNLV to Iowa State and now to the NBA Draft, Dejean-Jones will be examined for every headline in his college career. He’ll be interviewed about the apartment incident, the moodiness surfacing around teams. He went to Iowa State with questions, and once again, Dejean-Jones goes misread into a new basketball world.

“I recognize that damage was done to my image,” Dejean-Jones told RealGM. “I fully own up to my mistakes, but a mistake was made by law enforcement for charging me with something other than a noise complaint. I’m a few units away from a master’s degree with above a 3.7 [grade point average]. Some people seem to get this impression that I am some type of unruly person.

“I have no criminal record. Nothing.”

It altered Dejean-Jones’ season, reputation and stability. Around him, all people had discussed was the charge and not its dismissal. He had left UNLV a year ago with a slew of starters — including Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith — who traded another year of improving stock for undrafted seasons in the NBA Development League.

Dejean-Jones considered following them to the draft, too, but wanted to continue on somewhere he could play in national television games, play against potential lottery picks. And he had shown promise: a 27 points and grabbing six rebounds against Arkansas, a 17 and seven performance against Maryland.

He has a college degree from UNLV, a 6-foot-6 frame and pro-level athleticism. For NBA teams, his swift transition play and finishes in the open court stood out early in the Portsmouth Invitational. There’ll be interest in Dejean-Jones during the pre-draft process, and the 22-year-old’s hometown Los Angeles Lakers are one team so far.

“I’m a young man, but I’m committed and focused on my dreams and aspiration as a ball player,” Dejean-Jones said. “My ball handling allows me to play a two way guard, and my size allows me to be able to defend three positions."

Bryce Dejean-Jones had been charged in his apartment, and it went to the files as permanent residue for a dismissed case. No criminal charge. Nothing. Now, this clarity has become part of Dejean-Jones’ pre-draft work with teams. He must convince them completely to focus simply on his game: athletic, fit and developing.

“Life is a learning experience full of ups and downs that we can learn and grow from and get better,” Dejean-Jones said. "Or we can let them defeat us. I played for great coaches, some very talented teams and top notch universities.  Along the way, there were challenges and I made some mistakes. I own up to them. They’re stepping stones to help me grow and mature.”