Injuries

[Adunk33]

Well, the injury bug will sweep the conference this year and has already begun for some teams. Here we can track player injuries around the league.

For the third (or fourth) consecutive season, the Redbirds will lead the league in stress fractures. Keyshawn Evans is currently hobbled, with what I believe they are calling a "hot spot" in his foot. He was expected to be out 2-4 weeks which was diagnosed about 10 days ago. I would be surprised if he played in tomorrow's exhibition against Quincy.

Sophomore big man Taylor Bruninga is on the shelf for 8-10 weeks with a stress fracture, expected back in mid December, but then it will take him another few weeks to get back into basketball shape. If the entire team is healthy at that point and things are going okay, I would seriously consider putting a RS on Bruninga at that time. No need to waste over half of his season.

The "prized" recruit Abdou N'Daiye is also sidelined with a stress fracture. WKU soph transfer Dedric Boyd has been sitting out with a hip or back issue, I can't remember which, and San Jose State transfer, Sr Jaycee Hillsman had to have surgery and is out until at least January. All are redshirted this season.

That puts the Birds with nine active players to start the two-game exhibition season (Tuesday and Saturday this week)
Sr- 6'9 Phil Fayne, 6'6 Boogie Tinsley, 6'6 Milik Yarbrough
Jr - 6'3 Matt Hein, 6'4 Zach Copeland, 6'2 Josh Jefferson
Soph - 6'6 Ike Gassman, 6'6 Matt Chastain
Fresh - 6'9 Rey Idowu

[BCPanther]

UNI--

Tywhon Pickford dislocated his ankle in August. No surgery was required. Back to practice earlier this week and is going to try to play Thursday if all goes well. Will be on a minute limit to start with and hopes to be full go by the Paradise Jam.

The serious one has become Austin Phyfe. He's suffering from symptoms of Vasovagl Syncope which is causing him to randomly pass out followed by bouts of amnesia. Serious stuff. They've been working on medications without success for 6 weeks or so and he will be seen at the Mayo Clinics this week. Would not be a huge surprise at this point if he takes the year off and it can't be guaranteed that it isn't career threatening. Just hope this doesn't alter the young man's life long term.

UNI would go exclusively with a 4 guard lineup without Phyfe and would use Goldman and McDonnell in the middle. Would be okay defensively as Brown, Pickford and Berhow can all guard the 4 if need be.

[Majik45]

Bradley --

Our supposed best freshman, Ari Boya has a hairline fracture of the tibia or some sort of broken bone in his leg, there have been varying reports. He is supposed to be out till at least the 1st of the year which will make Bradley very thin up front, especially with the next injury as well.

Senior Luuk Von Bree broke his Fibula a month ago. There was thoughts he could be ready for the opener, but I think he is still has a ways to go before getting back to 100%.

I think Bradley will have to play some 4 guard line-ups to start the year as Elijah Child's and Koch Bar are our only inside players right now.

[ahunte1]

Wow, that is scary.

[siudawgs]

For SIU, there are rumblings that junior guard Eric McGill, expected to be a significant bench contributor, will be sidelined for an extended period ... more details should come out soon, as SIU plays its exhibition game on Thursday. McGill, a SEMO transfer, also missed much of last season with an injury. Coincidentally or not, Hinson has announced that freshman guard Darius Beane will not redshirt. Additionally, as has been mentioned previously, Hinson has repeatedly said Thik Bol, he of the multiple knee issues, will never be 100 percent and will mostly back up Pippen off the bench as opposed to them playing extended minutes together.
Overall, not a great start to the year around the league from a health perspective. Last year was no picnic either ...

[municup14]

On the Aces side.
Rumor has it 6' 9" Freshman Will Becker has "jumpers knee".Or other
sources are saying he's homesick and wants to go back to Colorado.
If so this leaves us with 9 players,and one of those, DC is suspended
for the 1st three games.Illinois and Xavier are our 1sr two games.

[Adunk33]

On the Aces side.
Rumor has it 6' 9" Freshman Will Becker has "jumpers knee".Or other
sources are saying he's homesick and wants to go back to Colorado.
If so this leaves us with 9 players,and one of those, DC is suspended
for the 1st three games.Illinois and Xavier are our 1sr two games.

YIKES. Tough break for McCarty. Being a first year HC has to suck. No one ever seems to catch any breaks. Is there going to be an open try-out on campus? If so, I might still have a semester of availability.

[Adunk33]

Williamson going down hurts the Ramblers, but I expect that freshman Ron Baker haircut will step up.

Redbird injury update:
Birds have been hit hard. Taylor Bruninga remains sidelined with a "stress reaction." He's been on crutches for 8 weeks and I believe he has another one to go. Then he'll probably take a few weeks to get back into shape. It'll probably be mid-January before he's able to contribute. At his point of return, I would look at how the team is doing and if they are playing well, I would seriously consider a RS for him. No point in wasting over half a season.

Matt Hein left the Georgia game in Cayman with an ankle injury, and has not played since. He has been at the last few games in street clothes and at the BYU game he was in a boot. Not sure when he's going to return.

During the BYU game, Matt Chastain rolled up his ankle pretty good. He was able to walk off on his own power but the ankle was very swollen, very quickly. He didn't return and stayed on the bench the rest of the game. I'd be surprised if he played against San Diego State.

So those three being out leaves the Birds with 8 players dressed. Evans says he is still not 100% from a preseason foot/ankle injury.

Birds are notorious for having at least 1, usually 2 guys foul out. Lightning could strike and the Birds could have to finish a game with 4 players on the court. They were 1 foul away from it against BYU.

[Drakey]

Tremel Murphy, drake's first team JUCO All-American dislocated his elbow tonight. 6 weeks?

[BCPanther]

Pickford showed flashes of his old self last night. Definitely getting back into the flow.

Austin Phyfe has played 3 minutes total in the last two games and is stuffing with the health issue again. He can play two more and still get a musical redshirt. The Iowa game is incredible important to him, being a kid that almost went to Iowa to play football and being the last time UNI will probably ever play them. Word is he'll play a couple minutes in that one and then shut it down for the year. Huge blow to UNI but a treat to focus on his health is, obviously, more important