Knee injuury shelves Nova’s Bryan Antoine

Bryan Antoine just can’t avoid the injury bug.

The junior guard from Villanova will be sidelined for six weeks as he recovers from an injury to the patella tendon in his right knee that he suffered in a recent team workout, the Wildcats announced on Monday.

The injury did not require surgery but will force Antoine to miss the start of the season. The Wildcats open the 2021-22 campaign at home Nov. 9 against Mount St. Mary’s (4:30 p.m.), then visit UCLA on Nov. 12 before returning home to face Howard on Nov. 16.

“Bryan is fully focused on the rest and rehab the doctors have prescribed,” Wright said in a statement. “He continues to have an amazing attitude and we’re

proud of his resilience.”

The patella tendon issue is the latest in a series of injuries that have hampered the former McDonald’s AllAmerican from The Raney School in New Jersey.

Injuries to his right (shooting) shoulder limited Antoine’s availability in his first two seasons with the

Wildcats. The 6-5 guard underwent major surgery on May 31, 2019, shortly after arriving at Villanova, to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Antoine played with the injury during his entire senior season in his school and was not medically cleared to play basketball until Nov. 18, 2019. He suffered another injury to the right shoulder in October of 2020. That injury did not require surgery but kept him from seeing action until Feb. 10, 2021.

Overall, Antoine has appeared in 26 career games and averaged 7.9 minutes and 1.6 points per game.

While his playing time has been limited, Antoine did make significant contributions to Villanova’s run to the Sweet 16 last season after point guard Collin Gillespie was lost for the season with a torn MCL.

Antoine scored eight points and hit two clutch 3-pointers in a 52-second span in the second half to break open a three-point game and help the Wildcats pull away for a 73-63 victory over Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He followed that performance with six points and two steals as the Wildcats rolled past North Texas, 84-61.

MICHAEL CONROY - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Villanova guard Bryan Antoine (1) shoots over Winthrop forward Chase Claxton (33) in the second half of a first round game in the NCAA M Tournament game at Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Friday, March 19, 2021.