ATHENS – KyeRon Lindsay has left the Georgia basketball team. Exactly why remains a mystery.
The only freshman signee in coach Mike White’s first UGA recruiting class, Lindsay did not attend the Bulldogs’ game against Chattanooga Wednesday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia could have used him, too, trailing until the final three minutes of play before rallying for a 72-65 victory.
Lindsay had played in 10 of the previous 11 games for the Bulldogs (9-3), including eight starts. A 4-star prospect from Denton, Texas, Lindsay was averaging 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in per game.
“Not a lot I can say, but you may have noticed that KyeRon Lindsay was not with us today,” White said in Wednesday’s postgame press conference. “He’s not with our team currently. That’s all I can say about it. I hope you understand.”
Jeff Goodman, who works for the multi-platform network watchstadium.com and does some broadcast TV work, was the first to mention the development on social media. He wrote on Twitter that “a source” told him that Lindsay “plans to transfer.”
White declined to expound on the situation. Lindsay could not be reached for comment.
It’s unclear whether Lindsay’s departure was of his own volition and even if it’s permanent. There are unsubstantiated reports on fan sites that he was unhappy with playing time. However, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound wing was averaging 19.9 minutes per game, which is significant time for a true freshman.
Lindsay’s minutes had decreased somewhat recently. He missed the Dec. 6 Georgia Tech game due to illness. Meanwhile, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Jabri Abdur-Rahim – both 6-8 juniors -- got hot against Notre Dame. Moncrieffe was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor and scored 15 points in Sunday’s win over the Fighting Irish and Abdur-Rahim added the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. They played 23 and 19 minutes, respectively, in Wednesday’s game against Chattanooga.
Over the last three games, Moncrieffe has scored 29 points on 12-of-13 shooting with 17 rebounds. Meanwhile, graduate Jailyn Ingram’s playing time has increased recently. He had 10 points in 15 minutes of play Wednesday. Sophomore Jusaun Holt (4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg) also logs time on the wing. So the battle for playing time is intense, but the Bulldogs are flourishing.
Another consideration is academics. Fall semester just ended with the completion of final exams last week. Per NCAA rules, all Division I athletes must earn at least six credit hours each term to be eligible for the following term and must meet minimum grade-point average requirements related to the school’s GPA standards for graduation.
Regardless, Lindsay would be ineligible to play anywhere else this season. Even if he remains in good academic standing, he would have to sit out until the 2023-24 season, per NCAA rule.
Lindsay was considered a high-priority recruit for White when he came to Georgia from Florida last March. Lindsay had been committed to UNLV before White signed him out of Guyer High School last April. At the time he was rated the No. 87 player in the country by the 247Sports composite.
Lindsay has flashed great potential in his short tenure with the Bulldogs. On Nov. 14, he recorded a “double-double” with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Georgia’s 22-70 win over Miami-Ohio. He led the team in rebounding in the opener against Western Carolina with 6 and scored 10 points in his first career start on the road against Wake Forest in the second game of the season. He averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds in Georgia’s first three games of the year.
Georgia and Lindsay have some time to work out things. The Bulldogs are disbursing for Christmas break this weekend before returning to action against Rider next Wednesday. Winter semester does not begin until Jan. 9.
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