Matt McMahon announces suspension for LSU guard Jalen Cook

LSU leading scorer Jalen Cook has been out since Feb. 13 with a hamstring injury. There is now something else that is keeping him off the court.

Cook has been suspended from the team, according to Matthew Brune of On3.

“LSU HC Matt McMahon says guard Jalen Cook is suspended from the team for failure of not meeting the rules/standards McMahon has in place for the program,” Brune posted on Twitter.

Jalen Cook has played in 13 games this season, making nine starts. He is averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Cook most recently played against Florida on Feb. 13. He finished with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss.

The Tulane transfer was a big addition for McMahon and LSU this offseason. He led the Green Wave with 19.9 points and 4.9 assists per game last season.

Jalen Cook started his career at LSU in 2020-21, averaging 3.1 points per game. He then transferred to Tulane for the 2021-22 season.

Cook led the Green Wave in scoring in 2021-22, averaging 18 points per game. He once again led Tulane in scoring in 2022-23, before transferring back to LSU. It remains to be seen if Cook will return to the court this season or if his time at LSU is over.

Matt McMahon spotlights team’s character following win over Vanderbilt

Even with Jalen Cook being out since the middle of February, LSU has still found ways to win games.

The Tigers are 4-1 since Cook was sidelined, including beating Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The LSU Tigers had five players score in double digits in their 75-61 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night. With the win, LSU improved to 16-13 overall and 8-8 in the SEC. After the victory, LSU head coach Matt McMahon took some time to speak with the SEC Network broadcast crew.

The Tigers have now won four of their last five games. What changed for their roster in the last few weeks?

“Just our toughness,” McMahon said. “I think our guys have really sold out in getting better every day. And we had some tough losses. Maybe some players with lesser character might have laid down. But our guys really just came to work every day to keep getting better. And now here we are sitting at 8-8. We’ve found ways to win games and I can assure you, it’s not the coaching. Our players have been awesome.”