How will Ben Howland handle Lamar Peters?

The Mississippi State Bulldogs Men’s Basketball team had an ugly win over Northwestern State Monday night, 65-59. Normally the inconsistent play would be the story in such a game, but not this time.

The Mississippi State Men’s team Twitter account announced early on that Freshman Point Guard Lamar Peters would not play. No reason was given, so people began to wonder what was the cause. We found out the reason for Peters absence in the post game press conference.

This is the second game Lamar Peters has been essentially suspended for. When the team played their first game in the Charleston Classic, Peters was suspended for it though we never found out the reason. While this technically wasn’t a suspension, it might as well have been. Lamar Peters could have gotten dressed and made it to the Hump since he was on campus, but Ben Howland basically told him don’t bother. Howland then said this later in the press conference.

The Bulldogs need Lamar Peters with Quinndary Weatherspoon suffering a season ending injury in the final game of the Charleston Classic. They’re already out one member of the 2016 signing class, so they can’t afford to lose another.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Howland dismisses Peters from the team with this being the second incident in less than a month, but I don’t think he will. He needs the players on the team being short a few players, so Howland will likely hope the talented point guard can mature quickly.

But with two incidents in one month, Bulldog fans might worry the team has a second coming of Renardo Sidney. It’s understandable, but I think we need to wait before we rush to that type of judgement.

If you went to college, you know some people struggle making the change to complete independence. Some people adapt quickly while others take a little while longer. I’m hoping it’s just taking Lamar Peters more time to make the adjustment. The Bulldogs only hit two of their fifteen three point attempts in the game, and Peters is supposed to be one of the best shooters on the team.

Lamar Peters obviously knows he made a mistake. He tweeted out this response after the incident.

This season took an unexpected blow when Quinndary Weatherspoon went down for the year. It doesn’t need to take another. Ben Howland should make a decision soon about Peters future with the team, and I’d expect it to be announced before Thursday’s game against Oregon State. Here’s hoping Lamar Peters learns from this mistake and is able to move on.