As if Louisville’s 73-67 loss at Kentucky wasn’t enough to worry about, Cards’ Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has dismissed 6-6 junior forward Chane Behanan from the team for violation of university policy.
Behanan had been an integral part of last year’s national championship run. He had been suspended indefinitely in October and kicked out of the dorms after a violation of university and team rules, but was reinstated to the team less than a month later. It does not appear he will receive another slap on the wrist.
“None that I can see,” Pitino said Monday in a press conference. “This is a university policy that has been stretched to the limits.”
“We lost a really terrific man in many respects,” Pitino added. “Away from the lines, he just did not do the right things, over and over and over. The university has gone to the met for him, in giving him every opportunity to make it here. It’s come to a difficult detour in his road. It’s set our basketball team back immensely.”
Behanan can transfer to another school and play the second half of next season in his final semester of eligibility. Or, he can choose to hire a trainer and pursue professional options.
“I want to apologize for letting down my family, teammates, coaches, Tom Jurich, this university and the Louisville fans,” Behanan said in a statement released by the university
He also tweeted that he “will forever miss this place” and that it was “good while it lasted.”
Behanan, who averaged 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in Final Four victories over Wichita State and Michigan, blew a good thing and may never play organized basketball again on the Division I level. He was expected to be a consistent double figure score again this year, but he never came close to reaching those goals. Behanan, who missed only one regular season game after his October suspension, was only averaging 7.6 points and 6.3 this season and only scored in double figures four times. He finished with zero points on 3 shots in 20 minutes in the loss to Kentucky.
“He knew, without us knowing, that the hammer was about to fall,” Pitino said.
Combined with Louisville’s poor performance over the weekend, the loss of Behanan significantly lowers the upside for the Cardinals (11-2), who entered the season as both an AAC and post season contender. It puts more pressure on 6-8 sophomore Montrezl Harrell to produce inside, back to the basket scoring for an 11-2, nationally ranked team that has been struggling to get any production from its frontline. Pitino will have to turn to undersized freshman Mangok Mathiang and senior journeyman Stephan Van Treese for more minutes, as well.
“We’re all let down by this,” Pitino said.
Behanan is not the only Louisville player that may be missing in action. There is a good chance forward Kevin Ware will redshirt. “I think Kevin may be shut down for the year,” Pitino said on Monday. “We’re not 100 percent sure yet.”
Ware suffered an injury to his right leg earlier in the month. It’s the same leg he broke back in March when he landed awkwardly against Duke in the Elite Eight.
NCAA rules state you can get a medical red shirt if you play in fewer than 30 percent of your team’s games. They have 31 on the schedule this year, and Ware has only played in nine.
Ware had surgery and missed much of the preseason. He made his return on Nov. 15 against Cornell, played nine games before sitting out the last two after being kicked in his right leg in a victory against Missouri State.
