Tuesday night’s loss in Seattle eliminated UCLA’s chances at an outright Pac-10 title, but the Bruins’ chances of finishing the season on a high note seemingly got a little better with some news out of Washington on Friday.
Washington State junior guard Klay Thompson has been suspended for Saturday’s game against UCLA after he was cited by police Thursday night in Pullman, Wash. Thompson was charged with marijuana posession hours after leading the Cougars to an 85-77 win over USC.
For UCLA, it means coach Ben Howland won’t have to account for the conference’s leading scorer in the teams’ regular-season finale. Thompson, who averages 21.1 points per game, poured in 26 points in UCLA’s 80-71 home win in December, and had just led Washington State to its biggest win of the year, a 80-69 win over rival Washington in Seattle.
“Obviously he’s a great player,” Howland said. “I know him, he’s a great kid. We wish him nothing but the best. He has a wonderful family, he’s a good kid. I’m disappointed for him and his family that he won’t be able to play tomorrow.”
Howland continued to say that the Cougars could rally around Thompson’s absence, much like UCLA did when freshman center Joshua Smith was out for the Jan. 22 game against Stanford.
“Sometimes it inspires the team even more,” Howland said. “With or without Klay it’s going to be difficult for us.”
Cougars’ fourth-leading scorer Reggie Moore, who was arrested on marijuana possession earlier in the year and also suspended by coach Ken Bone, sprained his ankle in Thursday night’s game. His status for Saturday has yet to be determined.
There has been a local buzz to the story despite the distance between Los Angeles and Pullman. Mychal Thompson, Klay’s father and a longtime NBA player, took to the radio airwaves to candidly discuss his son’s situation. Mychal, a former Laker and current NBA analyst, spoke on 710 ESPN Friday morning. DBSports alum Jeff Eisenberg has excerpts of Mychal’s comments on his blog, The Dagger.
Howland concluded his Friday teleconference by discussing how his team is held responsible when it comes to the matter of drugs.
“There’s constant drug testing going on within the athletic department,” Howland said. “That’s something they’re all aware of. And all athletes at UCLA for that matter. There’s random drug testing throughout the year.”