Are things really starting to come unraveled for Michigan State this college basketball season?
First, you had head coach Tom Izzo call out his team as a bunch of “pretty boy jump shooters” following a putrid performance at home versus Texas. Then you had a losing stretch which leaves the Spartans just one defeat shy of their loss total from all of last season, and we’re not even done with January.
The preseason #2 team in the nation also looks dead in the water when it comes to the Big Ten conference race. And it doesn’t help that Izzo sounds like he’s in a lovers’ quarrel with leading scorer Durrell Summers; given the way he’s gone out of his way to call Summers out in the past three press conferences.
And tonight things got even worse.
MSU announced that junior guard Korie Lucious has been dismissed from the team for the remainder of the season.
Tom Izzo’s statement
“Unfortunately, Korie Lucious displayed conduct detrimental to the program. My focus is on this team for the remainder of the season.”
Korie Lucious Statement
“I didn’t live up to the standards of the program. Unfortunately, I let my teammates, my coaches, and myself down, and wish them the best for the rest of the season.”
You remember Lucious? The man who hit that dramatic game-winner versus Maryland in the second of the NCAA Tournament last year. Well, he has been shooting atrocious lately, but he did have a pretty good assist to turnover on the season. And he was greatly needed as a backup to Kalin Lucas, who is not even close to the same player he was before the Achilles injury.
Lucious’ experience running the point in a deep Final Four run was an asset to this team. Alas, they will not be able to make use of it. Lucious obviously did himself no favors by getting a DUI this summer. And don’t be surprised if Lucious is not back next year.
In the offseason, Izzo dismissed guard Chris Allen from the program. So the Spartans had three problem children in their program in 2010 (Allen, Summers, Lucious).
Either way the problem has to be with Izzo. He’s either a.) becoming too hard line for this players or b.) failing to find the chracter he’s looking for when recruiting his players.
State’s schedule gets easier over these next three games, but they still have five remaining versus ranked opponents in February alone.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
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