New Orleans coach downplays choking incident between teammates
New Orleans lost in dramatic fashion to Mount St. Mary’s in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Tuesday night, but an incident among UNO teammates cast a dark cloud over what was an incredibly exciting finish.
New Orleans forward Travin Thibodeaux was called for a 3-second violation with just over six minutes remaining in the game, and he exchanged words with teammate Christavious Gill on the way to the bench during a timeout. Things got physical between the two players, with Thibodeaux appearing to grab Gill around the neck and throat area.
Thibodeaux was benched for the remainder of the game following the incident, but UNO coach Mark Slessinger downplayed it after the game.
“I made the decision to sit Travin for the rest of the half,” Slessinger said, via Jim Kleinpeter of NOLA.com. “It was in the best interests of our team moving forward. It’s disappointing. He’s got as big a heart. … Unfortunately for him, it gives an uncharacteristic impression of how great a kid he is. He’s an honor student. He’s extremely passionate and cares about his team. Unfortunately, it will take away from the experience of the game here and how great an experience this was.”
You can see a video of the altercation here.
New Orleans ended up losing 67-66, so you have to wonder if having Thibodeaux — who scored 11 points in 22 minutes — down the stretch would have made a difference. Mount St. Mary’s will now move on to play No. 1 overall seed Villanova in the second round.
