Duke?s Amile Jefferson out indefinitely with foot injury
Duke will be without senior co-captain Amile Jefferson for an extended period after the 6-foot-9 forward injured his right foot.
Seventh-ranked Duke (8-1), which returns to the court after a 10-day layoff Tuesday night against Georgia Southern, released the news late Monday afternoon. The school did not say when the injury occurred.
?This injury is unfortunate, to say the least, but Amile is strong in both person and character,? Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. ?He will continue to be an integral part of this team and we will support him fully as he rehabs this foot injury.?
While his role on the Duke team has varied during his career, Jefferson had been one of the most reliable pieces on this season?s squad. He?d started all nine games and recorded three double-doubles. Averaging 11.4 points per game, he?s fourth on the team in scoring. His 10.3 rebounds per game is by far the best mark on the team.
He?s also showed his veteran savvy during key moments, most notably his 16-point, 15-rebound performance against the bigger, quicker front line of Kentucky.
Jefferson?s absence is troubling for a Duke team that seemed to be paring its playing rotation down to just seven players.
With Jefferson sidelined, look for 6-9 freshman swingman Brandon Ingram ? who at 190-pounds is undersized as a post player ?to potentially see more time at power forward. It also means that freshman big man Chase Jeter, who has played just 57 minutes in seven games, will have to make a bigger contribution.
Jefferson has earned the respect of teammates and coaches for his team-first attitude. As a sophomore, he was forced to play center, and be physically over-matched nearly every night, due to the Blue Devils? deficiencies on the front line.
Last season, the Blue Devils opted to go with a smaller lineup ? moving Justise Winslow to power forward and bringing guard Matt Jones into the starting five ? late in the season. While the move proved beneficial for the eventual NCAA champs, it also cost Jefferson his starting spot, something he handled gracefully.
Duke will be without senior co-captain Amile Jefferson for an extended period after the 6-foot-9 forward injured his right foot.
Seventh-ranked Duke (8-1), which returns to the court after a 10-day layoff Tuesday night against Georgia Southern, released the news late Monday afternoon. The school did not say when the injury occurred.
?This injury is unfortunate, to say the least, but Amile is strong in both person and character,? Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. ?He will continue to be an integral part of this team and we will support him fully as he rehabs this foot injury.?
While his role on the Duke team has varied during his career, Jefferson had been one of the most reliable pieces on this season?s squad. He?d started all nine games and recorded three double-doubles. Averaging 11.4 points per game, he?s fourth on the team in scoring. His 10.3 rebounds per game is by far the best mark on the team.
He?s also showed his veteran savvy during key moments, most notably his 16-point, 15-rebound performance against the bigger, quicker front line of Kentucky.
Jefferson?s absence is troubling for a Duke team that seemed to be paring its playing rotation down to just seven players.
With Jefferson sidelined, look for 6-9 freshman swingman Brandon Ingram ? who at 190-pounds is undersized as a post player ?to potentially see more time at power forward. It also means that freshman big man Chase Jeter, who has played just 57 minutes in seven games, will have to make a bigger contribution.
Jefferson has earned the respect of teammates and coaches for his team-first attitude. As a sophomore, he was forced to play center, and be physically over-matched nearly every night, due to the Blue Devils? deficiencies on the front line.
Last season, the Blue Devils opted to go with a smaller lineup ? moving Justise Winslow to power forward and bringing guard Matt Jones into the starting five ? late in the season. While the move proved beneficial for the eventual NCAA champs, it also cost Jefferson his starting spot, something he handled gracefully.
