Louisville Cardinals: Chris Jones Dismissed From Program
By Jacob Rude
The Louisville Cardinals have dismissed guard Chris Jones from the team, as announced Sunday afternoon.
Chris Jones has been dismissed from the University of Louisville men’s basketball team. There will be no comment on the matter.
— Kenny Klein (@KKcards) February 22, 2015
Jones had been indefinitely suspended recently for mysterious circumstances, thought to be associated with violation of team rules. Jones returned for Saturday’s contest against the Miami Hurricanes, scoring 17 points off the bench in 36 minutes of action and helping the Cardinals snag a much-needed victory given their recent form.
After the game, Rick Pitino was relatively complimentary of Jones, but as evidenced by today’s actions, those feelings have quickly went away. Without Jones against Syracuse, the Cardinals struggled mightily and lost.
Going forward, the Cardinals and Pitino will have to figure out a more permanent and effective solution, which won’t be easy. Only five players for Louisville played double digit minutes in yesterday’s narrow victory over Miami, and none of those other players scored. For a team that already struggled both with depth and with their offense, looking one of their starting guards is a big gut punch.
The Cardinals currently sit tied for fourth in the ACC, two games behind third-place Duke. However, with back-to-back road games preceding match-ups with Notre Dame and Virginia to close out the year, Pitino is going to have to adjust on the fly. In the one game Jones was suspended and in Saturday’s contest where Jones came off the bench, freshman Quentin Snider started. Against Syracuse, he managed 13 points in 38 minutes and his minutes seem most likely to increase in Jones’ absence.