Following an embarrassing loss to No. 11 Auburn, it didn’t stop there for the LSU basketball program.
LSU coach Will Wade dismissed freshmen Mayan Kiir and Galen Alexander from the team on Monday while suspending freshman Brandon Rachal and sophomore Wayde Sims.
Rachal and Sims were suspended for the Tennessee game for violating team policies but will be back with the team when they return from Knoxville, according to Wade.
Wade added that each disciplinary action was a separate case.
“They made a mistake,” Wade said. “They made a mistake that young people make. I think they both regret it. I don’t want to put words in their mouths, but they’re good kids. They’re good people. It’s difficult as a coach. You look at yourself as a parent-figure and want to help these guys. It’s never fun when you have to have those meetings. It’s not the most exciting part of your job, but it’s part of what you have to do. You have to maintain a culture. You have to maintain a level of discipline within your program. Like I said, they will be fine. It was a mistake that anybody could have made in college, and we want to represent our school, our team better than that.”
At Monday’s press conference, Wade said that there is a possibility of Kiir returning to the team after the semester but Alexander will look elsewhere to continue his playing career.
Kiir and Alexander have seen limited time on the court as reserves this season averaging 1.9 points each.
“He will look for other places at the end of the season as he looks to continue to move his life in a positive direction,” Wade said of Alexander. “We will certainly be there to support him as he moves forward.”
Wade had planned to make the roster decisions last Friday but decided to wait until after the Auburn University game to officially dismiss Kiir and Alexander from the team.
When Sims and Rachal return from suspension an uptick in minutes could be possible, but considering Kiir and Alexander received very little playing time to begin with, it’s too early to tell. With only four forwards remaining on the active roster, Wade will have to get creative with smaller lineups.
LSU is currently dead last in rebounds in the SEC averaging 34 boards per contest.
The Tigers will only have seniors Duop Reath and Aaron Epps for frontcourt play as well as seven scholarship players total against the Tennessee Vols. Look for Brandon Sampson and Randy Onwuasor to receive extended minutes in Sims and Rachal’s absence.
“We will figure that out,” Wade said. “We have Duop. We have Epps. We have those other guys back. We can play small. Teams have to guard you if you play small. That’s on me as a coach to figure that out. We will put a plan together and do as best as we can.”
After the Tigers first blowout loss in conference play this season, Wade said the players don’t need much motivation to improve the quality of play against the No. 18 Volunteers.
“If you are a competitor and watch that game and see how we played, you are certainly embarrassed by the effort,” Wade said. “You’re embarrassed by how we represented our program, our school, and our state. That should snap us back to attention. I hope we will play with a lot more focused and disciplined effort on Wednesday night in Knoxville.”
