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It's news we've suspected was coming, but it is still highly disappointing. Auburn point guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen's basketball career is over. Along with him, Center Trayvon Reed will not return to the basketball team. The news came in a release from Auburn University Friday afternoon.
Tahj was one of the most well-liked players on the team among fans. He played with so much heart and joy that it was obvious how much he loved the game. Auburn's defense was more effective with him on the court and he was one of the best players on the team at playing in transition.
Over the course of the last two seasons, Shamsid-Deen has suffered numerous shoulder injuries. His 2014-15 season was cut short with injuries to both shoulders, one finally requiring surgery. His 2015-16 season never really got off the ground, as he made few appearances. What appearances he did make were fun, though, and showed why he was such an important part of Bruce Pearl's plan for Auburn basketball last season.
He'll be able to continue school on a medical scholarship.
In Trayvon Reed's case, there's not as much information. Reed came to Auburn during the second semester of the 2014-15 season and saw limited minutes. He sat out the 2015-16 season and redshirted following some issues that kept him out of school in the Fall. Over the summer of 2015, he had to serve a 15-day sentence in jail due to an event that happened after he originally signed to play basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.
There were good reports of Reed's progress on the court during practices once he rejoined the team during Spring Semester 2016. No reason was given for his departure, but the easy speculation is that it is a grades/eligibility issue. I have absolutely no proof of that and I want to emphasize it's pure speculation on my part.
Auburn has recently added multiple players on the graduate transfer market. Two of them, Ronnie Johnson of Houston and LaRon Smith of Bethune-Cookman, will be eligible immediately. DeSean Murray of Presbyterian will have to sit out for one season before he is eligible.