The “indefinite” suspension will last at least for a second game.
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The indefinite suspension of Louisville captain Malik Williams will last at least one more game.
Interim U of L head coach Mike Pegues announced during his Friday afternoon press conference that Williams, who was not on the bench for Louisville’s Tuesday night loss tp North Carolina, will not be traveling with the team to Syracuse.
“Malik won’t make the trip to Syracuse this weekend, although there are still hopes that he will at some point rejoin the team,” Pegues said. “I won’t get into timing but there is a meeting scheduled for Malik and I to sit down and, you know, hopefully we can get on the same page and clear things up. But as for now, Malik will not make the trip to Syracuse. So we’ll move forward without him.”
Williams is currently Louisville’s leader in both scoring (10.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). He has produced a career-high six double-doubles this season, including a 10 point, 12 rebound effort in last Saturday’s 74-65 loss to Duke.
On Monday, Pegues announced the suspension of Williams during his weekly radio show.
“Bottom line, there’s a standard which all of our guys are expected to meet,” Pegues said on the show. “Unfortunately Malik hasn’t met that standard at different times throughout the year. As a result of that, now that I’m the interim head coach, I feel like it’s my duty and responsibility to maintain the character and the integrity in our locker room.”
I’ll say the same thing here that I said earlier this week: At this point, the season ought to be about making sure the players who are doing the right things every day are rewarded and given the best possible opportunity to make these final five weeks of the season an enjoyable experience. If you’re not one of those people, I don’t care who you are, I’m fine with you staying on the sidelines.
Beat Syracuse.
