Alabama basketball head coach Anthony Grant suspended junior forward Tony Mitchell indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, according to a UA representative. There is no set timetable for his return.
“Coach had to make a decision that he thought was in the best interest of the team, and we have to trust his judgment on it,” said redshirt junior guard Andrew Steele.
Grant was very short about the decision in Monday’s press conference, saying that the suspension was the result of an accumulation of detrimental conduct and that the decision to suspend Mitchell was made after the double-overtime win against Ole Miss Saturday night.
The Ole Miss game was the first missed start of the season for Mitchell. The forward came off the bench against the Rebels and scored 14 points. Mitchell is averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and 31 minutes per game.
The player that will most likely pick up the minutes left behind by Mitchell is freshman forward Nick Jacobs, who as of Monday averaged just below six points and 19 minutes per game. Jacobs has accumulated nine starts this season, including three straight against South Carolina, Arkansas and Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide is 7-2 in games that Jacobs has started.
There is also the chance that Alabama could transition to a guard-heavy lineup, giving more minutes to Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper. If that were to happen, those minutes would likely go to Cooper, who has 15 minutes per game, 12 less than Randolph and 10 less than Lacey.
With all the possibilities, Grant is still unsure what the line-up and rotation will look like against Auburn in the first game of Mitchell’s suspension.
“We’ll see what happens today in practice,” Grant said. “That will be determined by the end of the day in practice.”
There is no doubt that Mitchell’s absence will affect the team.
“Obviously, it hurts because Tony is such a great player, and we feel like we’re a better team when he’s on the court,” Steele said. “But, like I said, we have to trust Coach’s decision and focus on getting a win in Auburn tomorrow.”
Steele also said that the players are unaware of what is going on, simply saying that it is between Mitchell and Grant.
The players, especially the older leaders on the team, are intent on staying focused on the task at hand.
“We’re going to focus on the team that’s going to Auburn,” Steele said. “We understand that it was Coach’s decision. We’ll adjust and be ready for it.”
Senior forward JaMychal Green supported Mitchell in his adversity by reaching out to him and telling Mitchell to keep his head up. Green has had some suspension troubles during his time at Alabama as well, most recently being suspended last season for conduct detrimental to the team.
