LSU Point Guard Jalen Cook Suspended for ‘Failing to Meet Standards,’ Coach Says

BATON ROUGE, La. (103.3 The GOAT) - LSU men's basketball coach Matt McMahon updated the status of a handful of players today, and the current status of a star point guard shocked Tiger fans.

Jalen Cook, who has been a vital asset to the team's offensive performance so far this season, has been suspended, according to McMahon.

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Cook "is currently suspended for failure to meet the standards that I have in place for the program," McMahon explained at a press conference Monday.

As far as his status for the remainder of the season? "We'll evaluate it day-to-day moving forward," he said.

The Advocate reports that Cook has played in 13 games with nine starts, and is averaging 15.6 points and 2.8 assists per game. Before the suspension, he missed five of seven games with what was described as a lower leg issue.

As a two-time transfer, he also missed the first 10 games of the season.

That hasn't stopped him from being a major provider for the team. The Tigers have struggled in some recent games due to Cook's absence, as their ability to pick up points has been limited without him to both score and distribute the ball.

As a high schooler, Cook helped lead Walker High School to the Class 5A Louisiana High School title as a sophomore in 2018, the final game in 2019, and the 5A semifinals in 2020, according to his bio at LSUSports.net.

The last time he touched the floor for the Tigers was on February 13 when the team lost 82-80 against the Florida Gators. In that game, he picked up 12 points, two rebounds, and three assists.