The No. 6 Syracuse Orange just took another hit to their frontcourt depth. Freshman forward DaJuan Coleman is expected to miss about a month following knee surgery, USA Today's Nicole Auerbach reported on Monday.
DaJuan Coleman injury: Syracuse forward out for a month
The injury to the Syracuse freshman is causing serious depth concerns for the Orange.
Beth Hall-US PRESSWIRE
Syracuse announces freshman DaJuan Coleman will have a surgical procedure done on his left knee Tues. Recovery is expected to take 4 weeks.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 29, 2013
Coleman averaged five points, 4.4 rebounds and 14 minutes a game, although he has started every game for the Orange. Coleman will undergo knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss four weeks while he recovers.
The injury is another blow to a team that is already operating on a thin rotation. Senior forward James Southerland, the team’s second leading scorer, was ruled academically ineligible earlier in January and has missed Syracuse’s last four games.
As Jared E. Smith of Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician writes, Coleman’s statistical contributions weren’t eye-grabbing, but his loss takes Syracuse’s bench from thin to closing in on non-existent.
Next Saturday when Syracuse visits the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center it is expected SU will roll out a starting lineup featuring: Grant, Brandon Triche, Michael Carter-Williams, C.J. Fair and Rakeem Christmas. That means guard Trevor Cooney and center Baye Moussa Keita will be the only two options off the bench.
Freshman forward Jerami Grant has stepped up to the challenge since Southerland’s suspension. He has scored in double digits in three of his last four games.
Overall, the Orange have done quite well despite the short bench. They knocked off both Louisville and Cincinnati before falling in overtime to Villanova on Jan. 26.
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