by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's basketball team will be without its leading scorer for possibly the rest of the season.
J.R. Giddens has been suspended indefinitely, Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay said Saturday.
Giddens was kicked out of Friday's practice, but there was no specific incident that triggered the suspension, McKay said.
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"It just came to a point where I felt like it was important not only to our team, but to J.R. and the rest of our basketball family that I make the decision," he said.
Giddens did not join the team in Saturday's 74-58 win over Texas Christian at The Pit and will not practice or travel with the team until the suspension is lifted,
McKay said.
McKay said the suspension was basketball-related.
"He did nothing illegal, nothing unethical," he said. "This program tries to promote being a good teammate, and I want to emphasize that."
Giddens said in a news release Sunday that he does not dispute McKay's decision.
"I respect coach's decision," he said. "He's the leader of our team. He's the person of authority, and if he feels like this is what's best for the team right now, then I accept his
decision."
McKay said there is no timetable for the junior guard - who was averaging 16 points per game - to return to the team.
He did not rule out the possibility of Giddens returning as early as Tuesday's game against San Diego State in The Pit and did not rule out the chance of the suspension lasting the whole season.
"There's no conditions to it," he said. "With the appropriate time, if there comes one, we'll reinstate him. If not, we'll talk about it
next season."
Prior to the 2005 season, Giddens transferred to UNM after playing his freshman and
sophomore seasons at Kansas. He was stabbed in a bar fight on May 19, 2005, in Lawrence, Kan.
Giddens is a talented athlete, but the suspension was necessary,
McKay said.
"He's a great kid. He's an excellent player," he said. "We'll miss his contribution to our team while he serves his suspension. But I'm not in this just for winning games. I want to see if we can't make an impact or a difference in the lives of the people that we coach."
UNM point guard Darren Prentice said the Lobos have no choice but to move on while Giddens is away from the team.
"I don't really know the situation," he said. "It's always going to be a distraction if you lose a team member. But we still have games left to play, and we can't let our heads get down. We just have to keep playing hard."
Having Giddens on the floor is an advantage, but UNM showed it could win without him, guard Chad Toppert said. Three players scored in double figures in Saturday's win.
"J.R. draws a lot of attention," Toppert said. "When he's drawing double teams, it's easier for me and my teammates to find open looks. But I think we did a great job
(Saturday)."
Giddens missed four previous games this season due to injury. He also started several games on the bench.
Players are going to make mistakes, but they need to put the team before themselves, McKay said.
"We want this program to be one that promotes teamwork, coachability, being a good teammate," he said. "I don't expect perfection, but I do expect an adherence to what the pillars are of the program."
