U of L has announced that junior center Gorgui Dieng will be out 4-6 weeks while recovering from a broken wrist suffered last Friday. He will undergo surgery on Tuesday to insert a screw in the broken scaphoid bone in his left wrist.
"With a little luck, Gorgui will be back by the start of our Big East schedule," said U of L Coach Rick Pitino. "We will miss his defensive presence and passing ability, but it is time for other guys to step up their performances."
I also discovered today that this is the same injury my little sister suffered after falling during a backyard game of "pickle" when we were 7 and 4-years-old, respectively.
I asked her for an insider's perspective on Gorgui's situation.
"Seeing as how it's a common injury among us athletes, it was bound to happen," the youngest (former) Rutherford said. "He took a charge against Missouri, I took a charge from the sprinkler sticking out of the ground."
She was not helpful.
The worst thing about Gorgui being out 4-6 weeks is that it's probably going to be at least 7-9 weeks before he's back to playing near the level we've seen for the past four games. It sounds like this is an injury that tends to linger, and that could mean more for his effectiveness after returning than it does for the length of time he's sidelined.
It's crazy to think about how important Stephan Van Treese and Montrezl Harrell - two guys who weren't even on the team in early June - have become to this season.
All the best to The Gorgster on a speedy recovery. You're still the greatest human being on the planet.