Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith directed a blunt warning toward Kansas guard Darryn Peterson amid speculation about load management. Peterson has appeared in only 15 games for Kansas this season, missing 11, while playing fewer than 25 minutes in seven of his appearances.
That has led to claims that the freshman is engaging in load management. While the practice is fairly common in the NBA, it is not the norm in college basketball.
The speculation intensified after Peterson subbed out of the Jayhawks’ win over Oklahoma State. He did not return after leaving the game with 17:22 remaining in the second half.
Despite previously defending him against load management allegations, Kansas coach Bill Self struck a different tone Wednesday when confronted with the question.
“We’ve had this happen more than a couple of times,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate that tonight at all. I thought he was good to go. But we only got 18 minutes out of him. That’s disappointing because he could have had a really good night.”
Smith weighed in on the conversation during Thursday’s episode of First Take on ESPN. The veteran analyst questioned whether Darryn Peterson can be trusted amid the speculation.
“This guy is a sensational player,” said Smith. “Talent-wise, I understand why everybody’s looking at Darryn Peterson and saying that brother is something special. He could be [the No. 1 pick]. This is business. I can’t trust him. I cannot. I’m looking at him on the camera. You cannot be trusted.”
He went on to add that whatever is going on with the Ohio-born hooper is not just about health.
“This is some flagrantly obvious stuff that’s going on where there’s a dereliction of duty, a lack of commitment—something. It ain’t just health.”
Former coach defends Darryn Peterson amid allegations of load management
Meanwhile, former Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean defended Darryn Peterson, suggesting that the 19-year-old appears to be going through something.
“At the end of the day, when you watch him play, when you watch him with his teammates, when you watch him support his teammates, I don’t want to hear any of this nonsense that he doesn’t want to play, or he’s not locked into playing,” Crean said on Thursday while appearing on SportsCenter. “He’s going through something. It’s obvious.”
Kansas will host Cincinnati on Saturday.
Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey – who is NCAAW’s highest-paid coach? Find out here
Edited by Kayode Akinwumi