Tehoka Nanticoke’s Albany lacrosse career — equal parts thrilling and enigmatic — has come to an end, according to a tweet by Times Union writer Mark Singelais. The senior attackman from Six Nations, Ontario, was the Great Danes’ leading scorer through five games with 19 goals and eight assists.
UAlbany has dismissed Tehoka Nanticoke from the men’s lacrosse program.
— Mark Singelais (@MarkSingelais) March 31, 2021
Singelais broke the news Wednesday on Twitter, then added a screen capture of a statement he received from John Reilly, the assistant director of media relations at Albany.
“Nanticoke was dismissed based on internal team issues,” the statement said. “[Coach Scott] Marr and the program wish Nanticoke well moving forward. There will be no further comment at this time.”
ESPN content associate Chris Jastrzembski tweeted that Nanticoke’s dismissal was a result of a pattern of confrontations, including reportedly yelling at teammates and coaches during the Great Danes’ 16-10 loss to Stony Brook on Saturday.
Have heard this since last night.
— Chris Jastrzembski (@Chris_Jast) March 31, 2021
Per a couple of sources, he was yelling at teammates and coaches during the Stony Brook game last weekend. Was the last straw. https://t.co/zXVrUigkC0
Nanticoke led all scorers with four goals and an assist in what would turn out to be his last game with the team. He was suspended for Albany’s previous game against nationally ranked UMass (a 13-12 win) due to his role in a fight that broke out March 20 during an America East game at Binghamton.
Nanticoke, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the class of 2017 according to Inside Lacrosse, starred for the Iroquois Nationals’ U19 team in Vancouver in 2016 and also played for the senior team in the 2018 World Lacrosse Men’s World Championship and the indoor team in the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. He was as good as advertised as a freshman at Albany, earning All-American honors with 50 goals and 32 assists in 2018. He drew national attention as a sophomore in 2019 when he was suspended and then reinstated over an Instagram post in which he tagged a stick-stringing company — calling into question whether the post was in violation of the NCAA’s amateurism rules.
Nanticoke did not report to Albany the ensuing fall but returned in time to appear in five games (19 goals, eight assists) last spring, shuttling between midfield and attack before the NCAA shut down the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior with remarkable body control and sensational stick skills seemed to be on the upswing this spring and back to his highlight-making ways this season before the news of his dismissal broke Wednesday.
“I have nothing but love for this program,” Nanticoke said in a statement he tweeted Wednesday, in which he called it a “group decision.”
— TN1 (@Tehoka1) March 31, 2021
Albany (4-2, 2-2) hosts UMass Lowell in an America East game Saturday.