Villanova’s Taylor King began his indefinite suspension by sitting out the entire West Virginia game last Saturday. He was suspended indefinitely because head coach Jay Wright is making a “teaching point” with King. Jay specified that the suspension has nothing to do with breaking team rules or being in trouble with Jay or the rest of the staff. Taylor King went as far as to say that he is going through “personal issues,” but declined to say more.
There is no timetable for his return, and the athletic department has declined to make any public statements about the cause or reasoning behind the suspension. King will travel with the team for the remainder of the season, regardless of whether or not the suspension is lifted before the end of the 2010 Wildcat campaign.
In my opinion, this suspension isn’t the worst thing for Villanova heading into the NCAA tournament. While King has been a valuable hustle player this season, he has stuggled in the area for which he was brought to Nova, shooting. His 3 point shooting has been extremely inconsistent, and Villanova fans have become used to 22 foot airballs at very inopportune times by King. Therefore, the Cats are not losing too much by sitting King. Mouphtaou Yarou has shown himself to be a very good rebounder and defender in recent games, and Antonio Pena is the most improved player in the Big East this year. Giving these 2 big men time over King is really to the benefit of Villanova. In addition, without King on the perimeter, more explosive players like Cheek, Wayns, and Fisher can complement Reynolds more than a sitting duck on the perimeter like King could. In addition, Stokes (a better shooter than King), will have more opportunities to spot up for open 3s.
By no means am I saying that Taylor King is bad for Villanova basketball. I just think he needs more time. He redefined his game during his transfer year, and maybe he just needs another offseason to perfect his game. He wasn’t the 2nd all time high school scorer in California and wasn’t recruited by UCLA and Duke for nothing. The kid has talent. He is a great shooter, and is a great hustle player and teammate. He may just need an offseason to learn his place on the Villanova roster, and for the time being, the team may be better with King on the bench.
there’s a reason DUKE wouldn’t play him