NC State forward BeeJay Anya to miss Florida State game

Senior forward BeeJay Anya did not travel with the N.C. State basketball team to Florida State and will not play against the 14th-ranked Seminoles on Wednesday night.

There was a disciplinary issue at practice between Anya and coach Mark Gottfried. An N.C. State official with the team at Florida State confirmed Anya was not in Tallahassee, Fla. but declined further comment.

Anya, a 6-9 forward from Washington, leads the team with 32 blocked shots this season and is the school’s career leader in blocked shots (242). He averages 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds this season in 23 games and has started nine games.

The senior big man with an oversized personality — best known for his lefty hook shot to beat LSU in the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament — has seen his role reduced dramatically this season, especially in conference play.

Anya, who has struggled with his weight throughout his career, has only played a total of 17 minutes in the past four ACC games. He did not play at all in an 85-60 loss at Louisville on Jan. 29.

Anya tested the NBA draft waters after his junior season. He came back to school in August and reported at 344 pounds, which angered Gottfried.

Anya and Gottfried have been at odds before over Anya’s conditioning. Anya started his junior season at his best weight, 288 pounds, and had his best season with 4.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. But he has made it a habit of gaining weight during each of his four seasons.

Anya had his best game this season in a 67-55 overtime win over Tennessee State on Dec. 10 at Reynolds Coliseum. He had 12 points with a career-high 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

He played 38 minutes in that game but hasn’t topped 19 since. With the addition of freshmen forwards Omer Yurtseven and Ted Kapita this season, Anya hasn’t played as much as he did in previous seasons.

N.C. State (14-10) has lost three straight games and eight of 11 in conference play. Florida State (20-4) is one of the biggest and deepest teams in the ACC and is coming off of a 109-61 over Clemson on Sunday.

This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "NC State forward BeeJay Anya to miss Florida State game."