As word Washington State basketball star Klay Thompson was arrested for possession of marijuana began to spread, fans of the team sunk deeper into disappointment. But the feelings of the fans were nothing compared to those of his father, Mychal Thompson. On Friday morning, Thompson discussed the arrest, chastising his son for his irresponsible actions.
SB Nation’s Washington State Cougars blog, CougCenter, delved into Thompson’s words, concluding he was right: The Cougars have a leadership problem. When its biggest stars — DeAngelo Casto, Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore — all run afoul of the team rules, and two of them run into trouble with the law, it’s a bad sign of things to come.
This is all just this season, and these are the team’s three best players. Leaders don’t do dumb crap like this. Leaders make sure they’re above reproach. And the guys that are supposed to be this team’s “leaders” all have had mild to severe lapses in judgement in just the last three months. During the season.
Maybe I owe Bone an apology for this. Maybe this team does need some rules typically more fit for junior high kids to keep it in line. Because it sure looks like they can’t think for themselves.
Throughout the year, fans have been wondering which player is the team’s leader. Thompson was the quiet, lead-by-example type while Moore was a vocal, spiritual leader, it appeared. But with Thompson setting a poor example, with an arrest the night before the season’s final game, is it safe to wonder what’s going on inside the locker room? According to CougCenter’s Jeff Nusser, it is.
Thompson is out indefinitely, and will surely miss the UCLA game on Saturday. The Cougars will be shorthanded, missing Thompson and, perhaps, Reggie Moore, who rolled an ankle and was in a protective boot on Thursday. For a team on the bubble, needing to close the season strong, Thompson’s arrest couldn’t come at a worse time.
For more on the arrest, check out the rest of our StoryStream. For more on the Cougars, check out SB Nation’s CougCenter.