Wichita State men’s basketball player absent from Shocker Madness no longer on team roster
When the Wichita State men’s basketball team was officially introduced to fans at Shocker Madness on Saturday evening, a scholarship player was missing from the action.
Jalen Ricks, a 6-foot-5 wing entering his third season with the Shockers as a redshirt sophomore, is currently on a leave of absence from the team due to “personal reasons,” according to a WSU spokesperson.
Ricks is no longer listed on the men’s basketball team roster on Wichita State’s official website.
The former top-175 recruit in the class of 2021 from Sherwood, Ark. once attracted scholarship offers from the likes of Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and TCU while playing at prestigious Oak Hill Academy and ultimately picked the Shockers under former head coach Isaac Brown.
Ricks redshirted his first year on campus and suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during December 2021. After rehabilitation, Ricks returned to play sparingly last season for the Shockers and totaled 21 points and 11 rebounds in 88 minutes played across 12 appearances.
Along with junior center Kenny Pohto and fellow redshirt sophomore Isaac Abidde, Ricks has the most experience in the WSU men’s basketball program.
If Ricks is indeed off the roster, it would be the third straight season the Shockers have lost a scholarship player before the start of the season. Matt McFarlane, a 6-foot-10 center, elected to transfer in late August before the 2021-22 season, then Jacob Wilson, a 6-foot-5 incoming freshman, was kicked off the team for violating team rules in late August before the 2022-23 season.
Ricks was photographed in practice and promoted on the WSU men’s basketball team’s social media account just three days before Shocker Madness.
This story was originally published October 8, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
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