NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- 48 hours after Vasean Allette was dismissed from the Old Dominion basketball team, the Monarchs were once again back at practice preparing for Thursday's showdown with Marshall.
Interim head coach Kieran Donohue could not say much beyond his previous comments made in Sunday's statement regarding Allette, but did answer questions regarding part of the process.
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Leading scorer Allette dismissed from Old Dominion basketball team
Donohue said that head coach Jeff Jones, athletic director Wood Selig and other administrators were made aware of the process leading up to the final decision. The interim head coach said that ultimately the final decision was his own.
"It's unfortunate," Donohue said. "We wish Vasean all the best in his future. He's a very talented basketball player, but at this point in time, the decision has been made for us to go in a different direction."
Allette's departure is the latest event in a somewhat chaotic season for the Monarchs. Forward Dericko Williams was removed from the roster on December 9 for unspecified reasons, though he was suspended for two games earlier in the campaign. Less than two weeks later, Jones suffered a heart attack while the team was in Hawaii preparing for the Diamond Head Classic. He has since announced that he will be on leave for the remainder of the season.
"Losing Dericko, Vasean and Coach Jones has been a huge hit, but KD (Donohue) has done a fantastic job trying to keep everything up, trying to keep everyone's morale high, trying to keep the tempo on the court good," junior center Leeroy Odiahi noted.
It's been an emotional roller coaster and that has continued throughout the last week. Allette came off the bench for the first time during Wednesday's game against James Madison, then was suspended for Saturday's contest with Georgia State. Sunday it was announced that he was being dismissed from the program for "conduct unbecoming of a Monarch." Entering the week, Old Dominion has a record of 5-16, 1-8 in Sun Belt play.
"I think our guys have responded appropriately, maturely, responsibly," Donohue pointed out. "It's another setback for our team, it's another challenge, it's another obstacle that, at the start of the year, I don't think any of us expected."
Allette was the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.4 points per game, which was good enough for second in the Sun Belt. Now other players will look to step up and shoulder some of that load. Junior guard Chaunce Jenkins is one of the league's top scoring threats and guys like Bryce Baker, Tyrone Williams, Devin Ceaser and Imo Essien can expect increased roles.
"Other people are going to have to step up, other people are going to have greater opportunity," Donohue said. "There's a lot more minutes to be dispersed so this is a tremendous opportunity for other people to step up and seize the moment."
ODU's first game following Allette's dismissal will come Thursday at Marshall. The silver and blue stormed past the Thundering Herd earlier this month at Chartway Arena, 91-66. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
