WSU senior guard Justin Mitchell has decided to leave the basketball team for personal reasons. He leaves in the midst of one of WSU’s best seasons in school history.
In an email with The Guardian, WSU Assistant Athletic Director Bob Noss confirmed that Mitchell was no longer with the team, and stated that the reason for the departure was “Justin’s decision”.
In a quote obtained by Dayton Daily News, head coach Scott Nagy had this to say about Mitchell,
“We’ve not had any contact. I don’t even spend a lot of time thinking about it anymore. It’s unfortunate. It certainly wasn’t my decision that it go that way.”
It had been an odd month for Mitchell, which saw his minutes significantly drop with the turn of the calendar. During non-conference play (Nov 3-Dec 22), he averaged 26.6 minutes a game, which was top five on the team. This made it even more peculiar when Mitchell only played in two games after the beginning of the new year.
It is rumored that losing minutes to guard Cole Gentry, who joined the team after fall semester ended, was a reason for his departure. Gentry averages over 32 minutes a game since conference play started.
Mitchell was in the midst of a very productive senior year, averaging 11.1 points per game along with 7.1 rebounds, which was second on the team. Last season, he became only the third Raider ever to record a triple-double.
Mitchell could not be reached for comment.
