A&M dimisses PG JJ Caldwell, Chandler

[jbcarol]

Colin Deaver
‏Verified account @KAGS_Colin
41m41 minutes ago

BREAKING: Texas A&M has dismissed point guard JJ Caldwell from the team and suspended Jay Jay Chandler indefinitely. #12thMan

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman
‏ @BrentZwerneman
2m2 minutes ago

A dent in Texas A&M's depth: Guard JJ Caldwell dismissed, guard Jay Jay Chandler suspended indefinitely following their arrests for marijuana possession earlier Sunday: https://www.chron.com/sports/aggies/article/Texas-A-M-dismisses-J-J-Caldwell-suspends-Jay-12605710.php ... via @houstonchron

A&M freshman guard J.J. Caldwell has been dismissed from the team and fellow freshman guard Jay Jay Chandler of Cinco Ranch has been suspended indefinitely after both were arrested on charges of marijuana possession on Sunday.

The two were arrested by A&M police earlier Sunday, according to the Brazos County Jail website. No further details of the arrests were immediately available.

Caldwell, who played his first three seasons of high school for Cypress Woods before he was home-schooled his senior year, has had multiple missteps and previous suspensions. He sat out last season because of academics after signing with A&M.

Caldwell's playing time had diminished of late with the emergence of freshman T.J. Starks, while Chandler has played in 24 of the Aggies' 25 games and has been a sparkplug off the bench.

Aggies play two games on the road this week at Missouri and Arkansas.

[jbcarol]

A&M basketball dismisses JJ Caldwell

A&M has dismissed freshman guard JJ Caldwell for a violation of team rules, coach Billy Kennedy announced on Sunday.

The Aggies have also suspended Jay Jay Chandler indefinitely, according to the release.

Losing Caldwell and potentially Chandler will hurt the Aggies more in the future than it will this season. However, the depth those freshmen provided could hurt as the Aggies push toward another NCAA Tournament bid.

[DeltaBoy]

OUCH

[riccoar]

Not big time contributors, but it takes 2 from their bench depth.

[hawg1221]

Not big time contributors, but it takes 2 from their bench depth.

Of course. You know how this works. Not a big contributor, you're gone. Really good player, you're going to miss a few games and stay after practice for extra drills.

[jbcarol]

Dave Matter
‏Verified account @Dave_Matter
7h7 hours ago

Dave Matter Retweeted Duane Wilson

Knee injury ends season for Texas A&M guard Duane Wilson (Marquette grad transfer). Averaged 24 minutes, led Aggies with 4 assists per game. Mizzou hosts A&M on Tuesday.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman‏ @BrentZwerneman

Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy: Multiple mistakes cost J.J. Caldwell: https://www.chron.com/sports/aggies/article/Texas-A-M-s-Billy-Kennedy-Multiple-mistakes-cost-12608150.php ... via @houstonchron

A&M coach Billy Kennedy was driving to church on Sunday morning when he learned two of his guards had been arrested by university police on charges of marijuana possession.

Following multiple missteps, Kennedy decided to cut freshman guard J.J. Caldwell, a former Cypress Woods standout, from the team. Following the first misstep of Jay Jay Chandler of Cinco Ranch, Kennedy said he's still gathering all of the facts to determine the length of Chandler's suspension.

"We run a first-class program, this is only the second time we've dismissed a kid in seven years here for anything," Kennedy said Monday. "It's unfortunate, but we've got standards to uphold here, and that's what we're trying to do."

Guard J'Mychal Reese, the son of then-assistant John Reese, was the other dismissal in December 2013. The elder Reese left the program not long after.

Caldwell had prior suspensions. Chandler did not. Kennedy addressed the obvious: that the players receive counseling and guidance from the time they step foot on campus, and especially after messing up, but at some point they have to take personal responsibility.

"We pour into these guys about life every single day," Kennedy said. "That's about developing people. Unfortunately there are guys who make mistakes, and if you make too many mistakes it costs you in life. That's what we're going through right now.

"We spend the bulk of our program on character development, and as long as I'm here that's going to be an important role in what we do."

Aggies (17-8, 6-6) have climbed back to .500 with four consecutive wins in SEC play, and leaped back into the top 25 at No. 21 on Monday. They beat two ranked teams at the time last week in Auburn and Kentucky. The bad news has come in waves, however, after senior guard Duane Wilson said Monday he's out for the season with a recurring knee injury (a partially-torn ACL that's gotten worse).