Missouri Tigers suspend Gant and Allen after assault arrests

Initial reports of the incident came out before the public had details of the altercation. According to a report by the Kansas City Star, the police report indicated that Jakeenan Gant and D’Angelo Allen were the aggressors in the incident, and that Gant lost his wallet at the scene.

"Columbia Police were dispatched to Eighth and Elm in reference to a disturbance and found three victims, who had been “walking east on Elm when they were jumped by three to four black males,” according to the police report."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-missouri/article2138859.html#storylink=cpy

Given that the team has already dismissed a player this offseason, it wouldn’t be a shock to see stiff penalties dished out to Gant and Allen after their role in the incident has become clear.

After Jabari Brown and Jordan Clarkson both left school a year early to pursue professional basketball careers, the Missouri Tigers seemed destined for a rebuilding year. This weekend, that rebuilding year got even more difficult when freshmen Jakeenan Gant and D’Angelo Allen were arrested for third-degree assault. Both players are suspended from team activities following the arrests

“We are aware of the situation involving Jakeenan Gant and D’Angelo Allen and have suspended them from team-related activities as we gather more information,” Missouri head coach Kim Anderson said in a statement. “We have high standards for the conduct of our student-athletes and expect much more from them as members of our program.”

While the arrests happened early Sunday morning, word didn’t spread to the public until Tuesday night, when Columbia Daily Tribune writer Steve Walentik began to report details of the incident.

#Mizzou freshman basketball players D'Angelo Allen and Jakeenan Gant arrested on suspicision of third-degree assault, per CDT arrest list.
— Steve Walentik (@Steve_Walentik) September 17, 2014

Walentik went on to detail that third-degree assault can cover a wide range of violations, from actually causing physical harm to verbally causing apprehension of physical harm. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, this could have a significant effect on Missouri’s season. Gant and Allen were two of the three forwards set to begin their careers with the Tigers this season, and the team already dismissed sophomore forward Torren Jones from the team in August.

Gant is widely regarded as a borderline Top 50 player for the incoming freshman class. He is an athletic 6-foot-8 power forward from Springfield, GA. While he has the athleticism to finish at the rim, he might need to add to his 200 pound frame in order for those abilities to translate to the Division I level. With that said, when you consider his talent and the fact that he is the only incoming post player Missouri landed in recruiting, anything more than a short suspension could diminish the Tigers’ postseason hopes.

UPDATED: Missouri Tigers suspend Gant and Allen following assault arrests

By John Parker | Sep 17, 2014