Reeves Nelson was handed another suspension Tuesday, adding one more chapter to a mystifying season that has seen the all-conference forward off the court more than on it.
Men’s basketball coach Ben Howland suspended Nelson indefinitely for “conduct unbecoming of a member of the UCLA basketball team,” the same reason cited when he suspended Nelson prior to the Bruins’ second game of the season on Nov. 15 against Middle Tennessee State, an 86-66 loss.
Nelson was reinstated before the team headed to the Maui Invitational, only to miss the team’s flight to Hawaii. Howland handed him a one-half suspension for the team’s first game in the tournament and has brought Nelson off the bench ever since.
In Saturday’s 69-59 loss to Texas, Nelson played 12 first-half minutes before Howland benched him for the second half for poor play. Nelson was seen laughing and smiling on the bench as the Bruins lost the lead, something Howland called “totally inappropriate.”
“I’m hoping it’s a teachable moment,” Howland said after meeting with Nelson and suspending him Tuesday morning. “His behavior on the bench Saturday was totally against what UCLA basketball and our program stands for.”
Nelson, who averaged team-highs in points (13.9) and rebounds (9.1) a season ago en route to an all-Pac-10 first-team selection, has not been available to the media since his initial suspension.
Asked why he decided not to kick off Nelson after another miscue, Howland said, “These kids aren’t pro athletes. They’re college kids. I work very hard to try to work with each kid. It reflects on the program and on the team as a whole. There’s a point where enough is enough. Are we there? We’ll see with our next meeting.”
Teammates were left to wonder about Nelson’s future with the team after his latest transgression.
“If he wants to change some of the things he’s doing right now, then yeah (we want him back),” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said. “But there’s a point where he’s going to be a good factor for this team or he’s going to take away from team camaraderie.”
In the midst of a disappointing 3-5 start to the season, Howland called the suspensions a distraction for his team. Senior guard and team captain Lazeric Jones said that he’s tuned out distractions because of finals week, but believes Nelson will be back.
“Coach really cares about us, and I know Reeves cares about basketball and about this team,” Jones said. “I’m sure they’ll come to an agreement.”
UCLA is off this week because of finals. The Bruins will face Penn on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, a game Nelson is “unlikely” to play in according to Howland.
“First I’m going to see if he does what he’s supposed to off the floor, which I expect he’ll do,” Howland said. “I want him to have some time away. It’s a privilege to be a part of the UCLA basketball program. It’s not something to be taken for granted.”
With reports from Sam Strong, Bruin Sports senior staff.