Baylor basketball's steady rise from Big 12 bottom feeder to national contender has hit its first significant snag.
LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor's leading scorer and a potential preseason All-American, was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday afternoon after turning himself over to Waco Police earlier in the day. Waco police issued a statement Tuesday indicating that the senior shooting guard was charged with felony aggravated assault after he argued with his 21-year-old girlfriend on Sept. 27 and allegedly broke her jaw with a punch.
The attorney of Dunn's girlfriend told Yahoo! Sports' Jason King that his client feels "re-victimized" because she did not want to press charges against the Baylor star. According to the attorney, she does not plan to cooperate with Waco police or testify against Dunn.
A release from Baylor indicated the school will not hand down a punishment until more facts are available, but it's difficult to overstate Dunn's importance to next year's team. None of Baylor's other guards can come close to replacing Dunn's 19.6 points per game, his deadly perimeter shooting or his big-game experience, all of which helped the Bears make their first-ever Elite Eight appearance last season.
Historical precedent suggests the severity of Dunn's punishment could be anything from a few games to a season-long suspension.
On one hand, Minnesota forward Trevor Mbakwe did not play a minute last season as a result of charges of felony assault against a Florida woman. On the other hand, UNLV suspended star guard Tre'Von Willis for a mere three games last week after the senior plead no contest to a reduced charge misdemeanor domestic battery stemming from an incident with a Nevada woman over the summer.
How coach Scott Drew handles this situation will be interesting considering it's the most adversity he's faced since taking over a scandal-tainted program still scarred by the murder of Patrick Dennehy and Dave Bliss' ensuing cover-up attempt. Drew has since masterfully rebuilt the program, transforming Baylor into an up-and-coming Big 12 power and a force on the recruiting trail.
A few hours ago, Baylor fans' greatest concern was a preseason Big 12 coaches poll that projected the Bears a disappointing fourth. Depending on how much of the season Dunn misses, fourth might sound pretty good.
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