Jonathan Holton suspended indefinitely from WVU basketball
Just when he was playing his best, Jonathan Holton was found at his worst.
West Virginia’s starting forward was suspended indefinitely, the program announced on Thursday night.
"“West Virginia University men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins announced this evening that senior forward Jonathan Holton has been suspended indefinitely from the team for a violation of team rules,” the school said in a release."
This is a huge blow to the Mountaineers as they are set to take on the Florida Gators on Saturday, as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. It would have been a homecoming, of sort, for Holton as he is a native of Miami, Fla.
Holton was playing his best ball of the season, and perhaps the best of his year-and-a-half career with WVU.
He was averaging 23.2 minutes per game and scoring 9.2 points and grabbing 7.5 rebounds per contest through the first 20 games of the year.
Holton has registered six double-doubles this season, including two in WVU’s last three games. In Big 12 play, Holton has averaged 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, scoring at least 10 points in five of West Virginia’s eight conference games.
He has came up big recently, especially when center Devin Williams has been experience a lack of production.
Whatever the trouble is with Holton, this time, it’s nothing new.
Holton has been said to be somewhat of an outcast on an otherwise close-knit Mountaineers team.
Holton began his college career at Rhode Island but left the school when he was arrested in his hometown of Miami in 2012.
Charged with possession of stolen goods, Holton left the Rams after being named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team.
The next year, Holton landed at Palm Beach Community College and averaged 17 points per game.
He came to Morgantown in 2013 and sat out, but did practice with the team.
Last year, Holton averaged 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and led the team in blocks.
This year, he is leading the team in bone-headed mistakes. He not only cost himself a chance to add to a solid, yet brief Mountaineer career, but he hurt the team when it needed him the most.