Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball: Abdel Nader suspended after OWI arrest

Iowa State players have had the worst week in quite a while. Cyclone men’s basketball now enters the stage after forward Abdel Nader was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated Saturday night and getting suspended indefinitely from the team.

Dec 22, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies guard Abdel Nader (23) drives to the basket against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

From the Associated Press (via Idaho Statesman):

"The Iowa State Police arrested Nader around 11:40 p.m. Saturday on suspicion that he was operating a vehicle while intoxicated.Iowa State athletic department spokesman Matt Shoultz says Nader has been suspended indefinitely in accordance with the conduct policy for athletes."

Nader was a transfer from Northern Illinois that came in last season, sitting out per the NCAA transfer rules.

The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his 2012-13 campaign with the Huskies. He’s even a threat from 3-point range, going 61-of-211 during his first two seasons.

Iowa State already faces a challenge ahead of them in building up the frontcourt, and losing Nader would be a huge blow to next season. It doesn’t look like Nader had run-ins with law previously to this arrest. (UPDATE: The Ames Tribune highlighted Nader being suspended for the first seven games of his sophomore campaign, but that was likely due to academic problems he faced.)

Perhaps Nader will receive a regular season suspension but a second chance to redeem himself.