Code for flunking out is usually "is leaving the team" or "decided to transfer". "Scholarships will not be renewed" is usually code for a coach's decision.
Just throwing this recent pub on the Tigers here for consideration... http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/99022/position-battles-centers LSU getting some national pub--I like it. Not everything is doom and gloom for the 2014-15 season. I personally think that while Hickey was certainly a talent, and brought some experience to the table, not all success on a basketball team can be measured by roster alone. Sometimes the combination of players, what they are truly doing or not doing on the court, the chemistry on a team, etc., is very intangible and impactful. I haven't always been so enamored with Hickey's court vision or leadership, despite being a quick, and generally tough, point guard. I think frankly, his defense this year regressed, and his ability to truly lead, put folks in the right positions, etc. seemed always to lack the degree of confidence you'd like to see. No doubt it would be good to have him for depth, but only if he's a team player and committed to team goals. Johnny must have evaluated and come to the conclusion that this was not there. I think folks will hopefully be pleasantly surprised with the coming of Gray and Hornsby. Reports from this year's practices certainly were that Hornsby would have helped the Tigers had he been on the court. Gray is not some new FR coming in to pitch in. He's wanting to come in to really be impactful from day one. You instantly get a little bit more size and scoring capability, what you lose is familiarity with CJJ's system and the chemistry. That'll now be the big question mark--hopefully TQ takes his game a level up to help offset that. I think it will be good for both players, Quarterman and Gray, to compete with each other in practice. Quarterman is very young still, but physically talented, and hopefully he sees that this is a journey and a process and not just an entitlement to the starting minutes. I also think freshman or not, adding a 7 footer of Robinson's caliber is going to make LSU's frontline that much more formidable. Not every day in the college game does a team face a kid of that size--he'll have to be in shape as soon as season starts though, so that's the question mark--is he physically ready for the minutes. Expect to see far more two man game between Mickey and Martin. More slash and pop from Hornsby and Gray. I'm still pretty optimistic.
