Rick Ray’s first season in Starkville is looking more and more like a disaster waiting to happen.
Forget the fact that Dee Bost graduated, Renardo Sidney and Arnett Moultrie went pro while Rodney Hood transferred to Duke, because there are few coaches in the country that would be able to overcome that kind of loss of talent without heading up one of the Blue Bloods.
In late July, incoming freshman Jacoby Davis, who was slated to be a starter at the point guard spot, tore his ACL. Then in August, Fred Thomas, another freshman guard, broke his foot and will miss at least a month.
And now, Ray’s depth took another his, as Shaun Smith and Kristers Zeidaks were both kicked off of the Bulldog team.
“This is an unfortunate situation for Shaun, Kris and our team,” Ray said in a statement. “However, players must be held accountable for their actions. Both will remain on scholarship and have the academic support all our other student-athletes receive. I wish them the very best moving on with their careers.”
Smith, a junior guard, had played very limited minutes in his two seasons with Mississippi State, but Zeidaks was expected to compete for a starting spot this year. The native-Latvian sat out last season due to amateurism issues, and was scheduled to miss the first 11 games this year as well.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.