by David Cassilo / @dcassilo
Junior forward Reeves Nelson led UCLA with 13.9 ppg and 9.1 rpg last season. But after struggling with off-the-court behavior issues for the past several months, Bruins’ head coach Ben Howland dismissed him from the team.
Prior to being dismissed, Nelson received two “indefinite” suspensions from Howland. The first was for five days in November after he was late for a team meeting. The second came after a loss to Texas last Saturday.
Nelson was an all-conference player last season, but Howland said that in the end, he didn’t think having him on the team was worth it.
From the Los Angeles Times:
“I’ve sat with Reeves multiple times,” Howland said. “It’s just a culmination of everything. In fairness to the team, there’s a point where we’ve got to move forward and do what’s best for the team. I want to help Reeves and am hoping he, in his future, can continue to grow as a player and be able to fit into a team and organization and be able to handle all the things that go with it.”
Nelson has yet to comment, and his future beyond the dismissal is undetermined.
