A season of apparent discontent for two key Ragin’ Cajuns came to a head Tuesday, when — five days before his team plays its first game in the Sun Belt Conference postseason basketball tournament — UL head coach Bob Marlin suspended indefinitely junior point guard Raymone Andrews and sophomore power forward J.J. Thomas.

According to a news release from the school, the pair was suspended for what was described only as "conduct detrimental to the team."

Neither will accompany the 16-14 club when it leaves later this week for Hot Springs, Ark., where on Sunday night No. 4 seed UL opens play against No. 5 seed North Texas in the single-elimination, four-day, 11-team tourney.

Andrews was the Cajuns’ starting point guard all of last season and most of this season, but true freshman Elfrid Payton started in his place during last Saturday night’s regular season-ending home loss to 3-26 UL Monroe.

Thomas was UL’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season, but he was playing behind senior Darshawn McClellan this season and logged only four minutes in the loss to Monroe.

Amid rumors that one or both planned to transfer away from UL after this season, Marlin did not comment on the matter in the news release. Reached by phone Tuesday night, the second-year Cajun coach declined to elaborate on his decision.

But Marlin did address the situation of both players somewhat during his weekly media gathering Monday.

Thomas’ limited minutes against Monroe, Marlin suggested Monday, stemmed partly from matchup considerations and partly from the fact Thomas didn’t have on his jersey when he tried to check into the game.

Asked then if he ever got to the bottom of what was behind that, and if he thought Thomas would respond if needed during the Sun Belt tourney, Marlin seemed uncertain.

"I have no idea," the Cajuns coach said Monday.

"I know the last seven games last year, you look at his points, and look at the last seven games this year — there’s a definite difference in contribution to the team."

That difference: 12.9 points per game during that span last season, including five outings in double digits and two with 20 or more points, vs. 3.7 in his last seven this season, including just one in double digits.

Thomas recently suggested his reduced output was tied solely to issues related to health matters.

He tore meniscus in his knee and tore his quadriceps prior to the season, and experienced rehab setbacks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair the cartilage tear.

Thomas also suggested rumors that he was seeking a fresh start at another school were false, and perhaps fueled by a request from his younger brother — Baton Rouge-Scotlandville Magnet High star Cleveland "Pancake" Thomas — to be released from the National Letter of Intent he signed with UL last November.

"I’m loyal to the Cajuns," J.J. Thomas said in mid-February. "I like ’em. I love it. They’ve taken me in, treated me well. I love it there."

Thomas, an Opelousas native who also played at Scotlandville, finished the season with an average of 8.6 points and 5.5 rebounds over 24 games — down from 11.3 points and 6.2 boards a season ago.

Andrews, meanwhile, has been the subject of recent transfer speculation as well.

The Hammond-St. Thomas Aquinas High product was suspended prior to the start of the season as the result of a disagreement stemming from housing-related issues. 

But he was reinstated before the season got under way, and wound up starting 28 of 30 games in 2011-12 — mostly at the point.

After Payton started and Andrews played just 19 minutes off the bench against UL Monroe last Saturday, though, Marlin said the change was made because Payton had practiced better during the prior week.

Which of the two would start Sunday, he said before suspending Andrews, would depend on who practiced better this week.

"I have confidence in both those guys," Marlin said Monday.

"They bring different things to the table every night," he added then. "Neither one of them are big scorers, but they do different things for us offensively and defensively that can help us win."

Payton, more of a pure point than Andrews, averages 7.0 points and 2.8 assists per game. Andrews, the better defender of the two, averaged 6.3 points and 2.2 assists.