The Long Beach State men's basketball team is down a couple of members after the Saturday announcement that Coach Dan Monson has dismissed junior Artis Gant and redshirt freshman Darnell Porter from the squad.
I was just handed the athletic department press release (all one paragraph of it) from Sports Information Director Steve Janisch as I set down in my courtside seat in the Cal State Northridge gymnasium, an hour before the tipoff of the Big West Conference game and the host Matadors.
The only details in the release are that Gant (7.4 points per game, over nine games and four starts) and Porter (also 7.4, he played in all 17 games and started 11 of them) are that the players "have been dismissed from the team due to attitudes detrimental to the team."
Both played in the team's most recent game, an 80-77 overtime, non-conference loss to Cal State Bakersfield Wednesday night in the Walter Pyramid.
I'll endeavor to get more details from Monson after the game.
Lauren Heard, a walk-on guard from Jordan High who had been redshirting, is suited up (and warming up with the team right now). I'll find out soon enough if Monson plans to play him or just keep him available for "insurance" purposes. Long Beach has 10 other currently active players on the roster.
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