FSU’s Cofer out indefinitely
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton is counting on other players to take on leadership roles after veteran power forward Phil Cofer suffered a right foot injury.
Cofer will be sidelined “for an undetermined amount of time” after suffering an injury during practice Tuesday, Florida State officials announced Wednesday morning.
The school did not release any further details about the injury.
Stadium basketball analyst Jeff Goodman reported from ACC basketball media day the injury will likely sideline Cofer six weeks.
Cofer ranks 16th in school history in career 3-point shooting percentage (.375). He was projected to be a key player for the Seminoles this season.
Hamilton said the Seminoles have gotten used to injury problems.
“We're probably one of the more experienced teams in the ACC in dealing with injuries,” he told reporters at ACC media day. “Last year Christ Koumadje had a stress fracture. He was out seven weeks. Trent (Forrest) had a bone bruise. He was out eight weeks. P.J. Savoy had another bone bruise. He was out seven weeks. A total of 17 games that those guys missed.
“I think our team is built to handle adversity. We play a lot of people. We have quality of our depth has been something that we've always tried to put at the forefront of our program. We've used it to the best of our ability.”
Cofer, a redshirt senior, has a history of right foot injuries dating back to his sophomore season when doctors found a bone tumor during surgery. The tumor was not cancerous.
Cofer did not qualify for a medical redshirt after playing 32.4 percent of the 2015-16 season, just north of the 30 percent cut-off mark.
He was given a medical hardship waiver on May 25, 2018, granting him a fifth year of eligibility.
During the team’s first preseason practice, Cofer said he was excited about the upcoming season after the uncertainty surrounding his medical redshirt.
“It’s definitely a great feeling being back with my brothers, going through this grind,” Cofer said. “That’s what I love the most, just all the ups and downs that you have in the season. Just being able to go through it again with my teammates is pretty cool.”