Michigan State made the shocking announcement Tuesday night that junior guard Korie Lucious was suspended from the team for the rest of the season. In a press release issued through the university, coach Tom Izzo said “Unfortunately, Korie Lucious displayed conduct detrimental to the program. My focus is on this team for the remainder of the season.”
Lucious’ P.R.-doctored statement said “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.” In real talk, that translates to “Man did I really mess up this time…off 2 the gym I go!” as Lucious wrote on his twitter page less than an hour before the announcement was made.
By acknowledging that he messed up, it’s clear there was another issue for Lucious. Over the summer, the junior guard was charged with drunk driving. On top of the DUI charge, Lucious also was suspended last season for missing class. At this point it’s not known whether there was another academic or legal issue, but it’s clear the problem was bad enough to kick Korie off the team.
After surprisingly reaching the Final Four last season, the Spartans were expected to contend for the national championship this year. Instead, they’ve disappointed going 12-7 including back-to-back conference losses in their last two games. Lucious had struggled lately shooting only 3-23 in his past three games and only 28.4% on threes for the year. The third-year guard from Milwaukee came off the bench in all of Michigan State’s games but had a significant role in their rotation. The Spartans appear to be in a bad spot at the moment, but if there’s any coach who can make the most of the situation we all know it’s Tom Izzo. It’s not time to count out Michigan State just yet.
