ZCZC
BSP-05
BASKET-US-POLITICS-UCLA-CHINA
Basketball: UCLA players in China shoplifting incident to miss season
LOS ANGELES, Dec 23, 2017 (BSS/AFP) – Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, two of
the US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting last
month, will be suspended the rest of the season, UCLA university said Friday.
Riley and Hill had been suspended indefinitely along with a third player
involved — LiAngelo Ball.
Ball was then withdrawn from the university by his father, LaVar Ball, who
has since announced plans to start a basketball league for high school
graduates who don’t want to attend college before launching an NBA career.
Riley and Hill will be allowed to practice with the team and participate
in meetings beginning on December 26, but coach Steve Alford said they won’t
be allowed to suit up for home games or travel with the squad.
“Since returning from China, they have done everything asked of them and
continued to work hard in the classroom and in their own personal workouts,”
Alford said in a statement. “I’ve told our players all along that actions
have consequences, and the season-long suspension shows how seriously we take
their misconduct.”
The shoplifting escapade created an international incident that eventually
included President Donald Trump, who said he asked Chinese President Xi
Jinping to intervene on the players’ behalf.
While Riley and Hill work to get back into UCLA’s good graces, LiAngelo
Ball and his younger brother LaMelo have both signed to play with Lithuanian
club Vytautas next year as their elder brother, Lonzo, continues his rookie
season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
BSS/AFP/MRI/ 0904 hrs