? If there is a glimmer of hope to Winsome Frazier breaking his foot, it's that it happened so early in the SEC season.
The Mississippi State senior shooting guard took X-rays Monday, which revealed that he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot, according to an MSU trainer. And coach Rick Stansbury and the Bulldogs are preparing as if their second-leading scorer is gone for good.
"He's out for the season," Stansbury said. "Without him, it's going to be much more difficult."
But there is a possibility, if everything goes perfectly, that Frazier could return in some capacity in six weeks.
"But that's best-case," said trainer Scott Johnson. "The best we can hope for. With a body, and how the foot might respond, you never know. But it could be six weeks for him to get back on the court."
That puts Frazier at Feb. 22, which leaves four more SEC games to go. Theoretically, Frazier, who was not available for comment, could start running three weeks prior to the SEC Tournament.
Team physician Dr. Scott Jones is scheduled to perform surgery today to insert a screw into Frazier's foot.
The first four weeks will be nonweight-bearing, according to Johnson. Then, if all goes well, he can begin to walk and run.
The Bulldogs, who moved from 18th to 11th in the newest AP Poll, will replace Frazier with either junior college transfer Jamall Edmondson or sophomore Dietric Slater, said Stansbury. They play Tennessee Wednesday in Knoxville at 7 p.m. (CST).
Frazier, who averages 13.3 points and is considered one of the team's top defensive players, went up to block a Justin Johnson shot during Saturday's 87-76 victory over Ole Miss and came down limping. He tried to shrug it off, but as he said following the game, "I couldn't walk."
"I don't even know what happened," said Frazier, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound Miami native. "I came down wrong."
If Frazier, who has played in each of the first 16 games, does not play this season, he will not be able to take a medical redshirt to play next season, according to NCAA rules.
"He's played in more than 20 percent of (MSU's) games," said Bracky Brett, State's coordinator of compliance. "To get a medical redshirt, you have to get hurt in the first 50 percent of the season and you can't play in more than 20 percent of the contests."
It's not just his offense the Bulldogs will miss. Frazier is the SEC's reigning steals leader and was tabbed by several preseason publications as the SEC's best defender.
Against Ole Miss, Edmondson had nine points in 25 minutes, and Slater had six points, three rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes. The Bulldogs turned a 12-point deficit around against Ole Miss without Frazier. The team began to show it could cope.
"We really can't fill that spot, but we can do a good job of having the bench come in and having them give us what we need," All-American Lawrence Roberts said.
How the Bulldogs respond could go a long way in deciding the team's fate.
"You're talking about the second-leading scorer, our best 3-point shooter, best perimeter defender, quickest athlete and toughest guy on the team," Stansbury said. "We'll miss him but nobody's going to cancel the game for us."
=======
Stansbury's job gets tougher - Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury lost his most athletic player when senior guard Winsome Frazier was lost for the season with a broken bone in his left foot.
Stansbury has to get more than he may have expected from sophomore guard Dietric Slater, as well as undersized shooter Jamall Edmondson, a former junior college star at Meridian Community College.
Lawrence Roberts gives the Bulldogs a chance to win just about any game they play. If point guard Gary Ervin continues to improve, they'll remain a factor in the Southeastern Conference. But the loss of Frazier will be felt, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
Stansbury's job is to roll with the punches and keep State moving forward. It isn't going to be easy.
The Mississippi State senior shooting guard took X-rays Monday, which revealed that he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot, according to an MSU trainer. And coach Rick Stansbury and the Bulldogs are preparing as if their second-leading scorer is gone for good.
"He's out for the season," Stansbury said. "Without him, it's going to be much more difficult."
But there is a possibility, if everything goes perfectly, that Frazier could return in some capacity in six weeks.
"But that's best-case," said trainer Scott Johnson. "The best we can hope for. With a body, and how the foot might respond, you never know. But it could be six weeks for him to get back on the court."
That puts Frazier at Feb. 22, which leaves four more SEC games to go. Theoretically, Frazier, who was not available for comment, could start running three weeks prior to the SEC Tournament.
Team physician Dr. Scott Jones is scheduled to perform surgery today to insert a screw into Frazier's foot.
The first four weeks will be nonweight-bearing, according to Johnson. Then, if all goes well, he can begin to walk and run.
The Bulldogs, who moved from 18th to 11th in the newest AP Poll, will replace Frazier with either junior college transfer Jamall Edmondson or sophomore Dietric Slater, said Stansbury. They play Tennessee Wednesday in Knoxville at 7 p.m. (CST).
Frazier, who averages 13.3 points and is considered one of the team's top defensive players, went up to block a Justin Johnson shot during Saturday's 87-76 victory over Ole Miss and came down limping. He tried to shrug it off, but as he said following the game, "I couldn't walk."
"I don't even know what happened," said Frazier, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound Miami native. "I came down wrong."
If Frazier, who has played in each of the first 16 games, does not play this season, he will not be able to take a medical redshirt to play next season, according to NCAA rules.
"He's played in more than 20 percent of (MSU's) games," said Bracky Brett, State's coordinator of compliance. "To get a medical redshirt, you have to get hurt in the first 50 percent of the season and you can't play in more than 20 percent of the contests."
It's not just his offense the Bulldogs will miss. Frazier is the SEC's reigning steals leader and was tabbed by several preseason publications as the SEC's best defender.
Against Ole Miss, Edmondson had nine points in 25 minutes, and Slater had six points, three rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes. The Bulldogs turned a 12-point deficit around against Ole Miss without Frazier. The team began to show it could cope.
"We really can't fill that spot, but we can do a good job of having the bench come in and having them give us what we need," All-American Lawrence Roberts said.
How the Bulldogs respond could go a long way in deciding the team's fate.
"You're talking about the second-leading scorer, our best 3-point shooter, best perimeter defender, quickest athlete and toughest guy on the team," Stansbury said. "We'll miss him but nobody's going to cancel the game for us."
=======
Stansbury's job gets tougher - Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury lost his most athletic player when senior guard Winsome Frazier was lost for the season with a broken bone in his left foot.
Stansbury has to get more than he may have expected from sophomore guard Dietric Slater, as well as undersized shooter Jamall Edmondson, a former junior college star at Meridian Community College.
Lawrence Roberts gives the Bulldogs a chance to win just about any game they play. If point guard Gary Ervin continues to improve, they'll remain a factor in the Southeastern Conference. But the loss of Frazier will be felt, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
Stansbury's job is to roll with the punches and keep State moving forward. It isn't going to be easy.
