Johnnies lose big man for month or more
St. John’s breakthrough season has hit a potential roadblock.
Starting forward Sedee Keita, the lone experienced big man on the roster, will miss four to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, the school announced Wednesday.
Keita, a 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore who sat out last season after transferring in from South Carolina, suffered the injury in the opening minutes of Friday’s closer-than-expected victory over Bowling Green. An MRI on Saturday was inconclusive, but a follow-up exam revealed the need for surgery. The Big East season begins Dec. 29 against Seton Hall — nearly six weeks from the date of the operation.
“Injuries are a part of the game and now it’s about him and his well-being,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said Wednesday. “The only thing you can do now is go to therapy and go from there.”
It will force the Johnnies (2-0) to go small for the foreseeable future, starting 6-7 senior Marvin Clark II at the five alongside 6-6 wing L.J. Figueroa. There is size on the bench. Raw freshman Josh Roberts is 6-9, but he has played just four total minutes so far, and Mullin declined to say if his role will expand now.
The Red Storm are entering the toughest part of their soft non-conference schedule, visiting Rutgers on Friday night in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, before meeting California on Monday in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. They meet either Temple or VCU the following night and Georgia Tech on Dec. 1 in Miami.
Without Keita for most of the game against Bowling Green, the Red Storm were out-rebounded by 10, but they actually got more offensive rebounds (7-6), and have capable rebounding guards.
“There’s more to rebounding than just being big,” Mullin said. “I think we have the guys that can step in for Keita. ... I feel fine about that.”
St. John’s is finalizing a non-conference showdown next year with Arizona at the Golden State Warriors’ new arena, the Chase Center, on Dec. 21, according to a source. It would be the first college basketball game in the building.