Mississippi State suspends Slater for first half of season

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State basketball coach Rick Stansbury said Thursday that Dietric Slater has been suspended for the first half of the 2006-07 season for a violation of team rules.

Stansbury would not disclose the nature of the violation, but he said the offense will sideline the senior small forward for the entire fall semester.

"He's not going to be with us," Stansbury said. "He'll be back. But not until the second semester."

Slater, a 6-foot-3 player from Waynesboro, will miss 50 percent of MSU's games under the suspension, or 15 regular-season games. Slater will not return until MSU's third Southeastern Conference game on Jan. 13 at Kentucky.

MSU opens the season Nov. 11 against Nicholls State and plays its SEC opener Jan. 7 at Tennessee.

Slater will not travel with the Bulldogs when they leave Friday for a three-game exhibition trip to western Canada over Labor Day weekend, Stansbury said.

Mississippi State will play two games Saturday and one game Sunday against Canadian university teams.

Stansbury said Slater has not practiced with the team for the Canada trip but that he will be able to practice when State resumes preseason workouts in October.

Slater was set to be one of four returning starters for the Bulldogs after averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds last season. He made 19 starts in 24 games but missed the final week of the regular season and the SEC Tournament after partially tearing a knee ligament in a March 1 game at Arkansas.