Kansas suspends key reserve Brannen Greene for six games
When Kansas boards its flight to Maui on Friday, an ineligible player will be part of the Jayhawks' traveling party and an eligible one will remain at home.
Joining the rest of the team will be highly touted freshman center Cheick Diallo, who the NCAA has cleared to travel with Kansas but not yet to play for the Jayhawks. Staying in Lawrence will be key reserve Brannen Greene, who coach Bill Self has suspended six games for "conduct detrimental to the team."
A sharpshooting 6-foot-7 wing who hit more than 40 percent of his threes last season, Greene is one of two Kansas guards who sees extensive playing time off the bench. He averaged 12.0 points the first two games of the season and has yet to miss a shot from the field.
The timing of Greene's suspension isn't ideal since depth is key at the Maui Invitational, where Kansas will play three games in three days beginning Monday against Division II Chaminade. The Jayhawks will face either UCLA or UNLV on day two in Maui, while Top 25 foes Indiana and Vanderbilt loom on the other side of the bracket.
In Greene's absence, fellow perimeter reserve Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk could see more playing time in relief of starters Frank Mason, Devonte Graham and Wayne Selden. The 6-foot-8 Mykhailiuk scored five points off the bench in the season opener against Northern Colorado and added four in Tuesday night's loss to Michigan State.
It's unclear what specifically led to Greene's suspension, but the junior guard posted the following crypic message on his Twitter account after it was announced: "Don’t talk unless you know. I’m just trying to play basketball." The tweet has since been deleted.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!