Malik Williams, a Louisville basketball player, was suspended for the game against North Carolina.
Malik Williams, Louisville’s leading scorer and rebounder, has been suspended from the team and will miss Tuesday’s game against North Carolina.
Louisville interim coach Mike Pegues announced the punishment on his radio show Monday night, referring to it as “one game for now.” Pegues later stated that Williams’ return is possible, but there will be some conditions.
“I think it starts with us sitting down and talking,” Pegues explained to the Courier Journal. “Probably need to involve his family. I believe it is a heart-to-heart chat with some limitations in place to ensure that everyone realizes that any regression will become permanent. Obviously, we don’t want it to come to that, but we need to move forward with the right people who care about the right things.”
Williams leads Louisville in scoring (10 points per game) and rebounding (8.7 per game). He shoots 47.8% from the field, including 56.6% on two-pointers. He shoots 32.8% on 2.9 three-pointers per game.
Pegues announced the suspension on his radio broadcast, citing Williams’ failure to satisfy Louisville’s requirements “at different times throughout the year.” According to sources close with the organization, Williams has been offered numerous opportunities to modify his attitude, and Pegues told the Courier Journal that the suspension was “a long time coming.”
On his radio show, Pegues stated that he “won’t allow one guy in that locker room to do things the wrong way,” which garnered applause from a gathering of Louisville supporters watching the broadcast at Roosters.
Pegues left the ban open-ended, stating on his radio broadcast that Williams will have “every opportunity to rejoin us.”
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Pegues could not say for certain whether Williams wanted to return.
“I don’t know that just yet,” Pegues told the Courier Journal. “I believe that is a question for Malik. I’d like to think he does. I’d like to believe he wants to complete the season in the right way.”
Williams, more than any other player, personified Louisville’s turbulent season. His public comments, which have been critical of his squad at times and cryptic about former coach Chris Mack at others, have sparked heated debate.
Perhaps no single moment in Mack’s closing days sparked more debate than Williams’ response to a query following Louisville’s Jan. 22 defeat to Notre Dame about whether the Cardinals were still listening to the coaching staff or had tuned it out.
“I don’t have a comment for that,” Williams added, escalating the heated discussion surrounding Mack.
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Last week, when Mack and the university negotiated a parting agreement, Williams stated that following the Notre Dame loss, he “didn’t really have a response for that question.” However, he acknowledged a separation in the locker room, stating, “something was up, but I think we got it all figured out now.”
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“This was probably our most difficult year, as me and him went,” stated Williams. “I’m just caught up in college and feeling stuck in the same location. Some days, it was impossible for me to maintain that level of energy and pop. I suppose there was a mismatch between me and him in that regard.
Williams admitted the two didn’t always agree, but he hailed Mack “a great coach” and that Mack will “always have a friend in me.”
