Written by Gary Parrish
Virginia has dismissed former Memphis standout Austin Nichols from its men’s basketball program, Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett announced Friday night.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of this program, and Austin has lost that privilege,” Bennett said. “We have standards for our student-athletes, and when those standards aren’t met there are consequences. … This is the unfortunate consequence.”
Nichols was suspended for a “violation of team rules” for Virginia’s two exhibitions and season opener. But the 6-foot-9 forward played in Tuesday’s win over Saint Francis and scored 11 points in six minutes.
Virginia’s next game is Sunday against Yale.
Nichols started his career at Memphis, where he averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocks as a sophomore. But he left after two years at his hometown school, enrolled at Virginia and sat out last season per normal NCAA transfer rules. He was expected to be a big part of, and perhaps the best player on, a Virginia team that’s currently ranked No. 8 in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one).
“As a coach, you don’t want to do hard things unless you think it’s the right thing for your team and for a young man involved,” Bennett said following Sunday’s 62-38 win over Yale, according to the Associated Press. “It’s just one of those situations. We always talk about there’s a standard we have. Certainly showing compassion and grace, but there’s also accountability and truth that comes with every situation, and with this case, that’s how we dealt with it with Austin. … I love Austin. My hope is that this will be a turning point for him and he’ll take the right steps. … Hopefully it’ll make a difference in the big picture. … I don’t have it all figured out, and I’ve made so many mistakes in my own life, but I’m hoping that we’re doing the right things, the wise things for Austin’s case, for the young men in our program, and that we’ll keep taking the right steps forward. I just want to hopefully lead them well, and our staff, and go forward. … But, yeah, not easy. Not at all. Been hard, for sure.”
Here are three more things to know about Nichols’ dismissal …
1. Virginia’s ceiling has been lowered
