Pitt's Ryan Luther likely out at least two more weeks; Jamel Artis expected to play Saturday
The stress placed on the Pitt basketball team by Ryan Luther?s stress fracture will continue for a few more weeks.
Coach Kevin Stallings said Monday on the ACC teleconference that his 6-foot-9 junior forward could be back from his foot injury for the Virginia Tech game Feb. 14, but that no longer appears to be a realistic return date.
?It?s not looking good for that,? Stallings said Friday. ?We could be looking at a couple more weeks. They?re saying that the bone has not healed yet.?
Stallings said the team has known Luther has a stress fracture, not a stress reaction, but the hope was he would be on the mend in four weeks. Now it?s trending closer to a six-week absence for Luther, who has missed the past seven games and left the Panthers with even less depth.
Better news on the injury front came in regard to second-leading scorer Jamel Artis, who hurt his ankle in the first half Wednesday night at Boston College but returned in the second half and played 23 minutes total.
The ankle is still swollen, according to Stallings, so Artis did not practice Thursday but should be ready for the Syracuse game Saturday.
?We?ll see how he feels today,? Stallings said. ?We expect him to play tomorrow, but I think he was in quite a bit of pain playing in the second half the other day. He was able to get through it and help us win. He did experience some swelling after the game.?
The Panthers (13-11, 2-9 ACC) hope to win their second in a row after their eight-game losing streak when they play host to the Orange at 1 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
They?re no longer at the bottom of the conference standings ? Boston College holds that distinction with the same number of wins and one more loss ? but need to continue making a push in the second half of league play. Close losses at North Carolina and Duke, followed by the victory at Boston College, have been an encouraging sign.
?I felt like we made progress in that three-game road trip,? Stallings said. ?I thought we played hard and competed well in all three games. Unfortunately, didn?t get the result in the first two that we wanted but I felt like there was sustained good play at times.?
The stress placed on the Pitt basketball team by Ryan Luther?s stress fracture will continue for a few more weeks.
Coach Kevin Stallings said Monday on the ACC teleconference that his 6-foot-9 junior forward could be back from his foot injury for the Virginia Tech game Feb. 14, but that no longer appears to be a realistic return date.
?It?s not looking good for that,? Stallings said Friday. ?We could be looking at a couple more weeks. They?re saying that the bone has not healed yet.?
Stallings said the team has known Luther has a stress fracture, not a stress reaction, but the hope was he would be on the mend in four weeks. Now it?s trending closer to a six-week absence for Luther, who has missed the past seven games and left the Panthers with even less depth.
Better news on the injury front came in regard to second-leading scorer Jamel Artis, who hurt his ankle in the first half Wednesday night at Boston College but returned in the second half and played 23 minutes total.
The ankle is still swollen, according to Stallings, so Artis did not practice Thursday but should be ready for the Syracuse game Saturday.
?We?ll see how he feels today,? Stallings said. ?We expect him to play tomorrow, but I think he was in quite a bit of pain playing in the second half the other day. He was able to get through it and help us win. He did experience some swelling after the game.?
The Panthers (13-11, 2-9 ACC) hope to win their second in a row after their eight-game losing streak when they play host to the Orange at 1 p.m. at Petersen Events Center.
They?re no longer at the bottom of the conference standings ? Boston College holds that distinction with the same number of wins and one more loss ? but need to continue making a push in the second half of league play. Close losses at North Carolina and Duke, followed by the victory at Boston College, have been an encouraging sign.
?I felt like we made progress in that three-game road trip,? Stallings said. ?I thought we played hard and competed well in all three games. Unfortunately, didn?t get the result in the first two that we wanted but I felt like there was sustained good play at times.?
