West Virginia has absolutely the worst back up point guard in America (Jay Hewit). If Hargett does not play and it sounds as if he won't...West Virginia will be routed at Rutgers tonight.
WVU's Hargett to have knee surgery
Freshman guard doubtful for tonight's game at Rutgers
Wednesday January 16, 2002
By Dave Hickman
STAFF WRITER
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Just when it looked like things couldn't get much worse for West Virginia's reeling basketball team, things got worse.
In the midst of a five-game losing streak heading into tonight's 7:30 game at Rutgers, the Mountaineers might now have to do without freshman point guard Jonathan Hargett, whose inflamed right knee has not responded to treatment.
West Virginia coach Gale Catlett said Tuesday night that Hargett will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee, although a timetable is not set.
"It has to be scoped,'' Catlett said. "It's just a matter of when.''
Hargett has played with his bad knee most of the season but only less than a month ago told the team's coaches and trainers about it. He has continued to play and practice while receiving treatments and taking anti-inflammatory medications.
Despite the need for surgery, Hargett practiced lightly with the team Tuesday evening and made the trip here in hopes he could play. But Catlett said the 5-foot-11 freshman "probably will not play.''
If Hargett does have arthroscopic surgery, it would be far less intrusive than major surgery on the knee and he might be sidelined only a couple of weeks.
"Right now we're just in the discussion stage [about when to do the procedure],'' Catlett said. "We're talking to Dr. [David] Stoll [the team physician] and we're talking to Jonathan's mother and trying to come to a decision.''
Hobbling on the knee for more than a month, Hargett has been in a shooting slump that has dropped his field goal percentage to under 30 percent. But without another experienced point guard on the roster, he has continued to play the vast majority of the minutes at the position as the Mountaineers (7-7, 0-3 Big East) have lost six of seven games after a 6-1 start.
If Hargett can't play tonight against Rutgers (10-6, 1-3), Catlett said he is not sure what adjustments he will make in his lineup. Shooting guard Lionel Armstead has played the point and sophomore Jay Hewitt is in reserve. Catlett even mentioned the possibility of going to seldom-used sophomore Tobias Seldon.
On the upside, if there is a team that is generally good medicine for what ails West Virginia, it is Rutgers. The Mountaineers have won the last four meetings between the teams and nine of the last 12.
The games are always wars, however. With the exception of a 26-point blowout win by the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers three years ago, WVU's last five wins in the series have come by a total of 15 points, including three two-point games and a 67-64 victory last January at Rutgers.
Rutgers' leading scorer is 6-foot-2 junior college transfer guard Jerome Coleman, who averages 15.9 points and has 44 3-pointers.
His backcourt mate is sophomore point guard and former high school teammate (Paul Robeson High in Brooklyn) Mike Sherrod, who averages 9.4 points and in his last three games has 18 assists against just two turnovers.
Up front, the Knights have 6-6, 275-pound Fairmont native Rashod Kent (9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds), 6-4 freshman wing Ricky Shields (10.7 points) and 6-10 junior Eugene Dabney (7.5 points, 5.4 rebounds). First off the bench is 6-10 sophomore Herve Lamizana (9.8 points).
The game will be televised by Fox Sports Pittsburgh.
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.
Back to Gazette Online
? Copyright 2001 The Charleston Gazette
WVU's Hargett to have knee surgery
Freshman guard doubtful for tonight's game at Rutgers
Wednesday January 16, 2002
By Dave Hickman
STAFF WRITER
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Just when it looked like things couldn't get much worse for West Virginia's reeling basketball team, things got worse.
In the midst of a five-game losing streak heading into tonight's 7:30 game at Rutgers, the Mountaineers might now have to do without freshman point guard Jonathan Hargett, whose inflamed right knee has not responded to treatment.
West Virginia coach Gale Catlett said Tuesday night that Hargett will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee, although a timetable is not set.
"It has to be scoped,'' Catlett said. "It's just a matter of when.''
Hargett has played with his bad knee most of the season but only less than a month ago told the team's coaches and trainers about it. He has continued to play and practice while receiving treatments and taking anti-inflammatory medications.
Despite the need for surgery, Hargett practiced lightly with the team Tuesday evening and made the trip here in hopes he could play. But Catlett said the 5-foot-11 freshman "probably will not play.''
If Hargett does have arthroscopic surgery, it would be far less intrusive than major surgery on the knee and he might be sidelined only a couple of weeks.
"Right now we're just in the discussion stage [about when to do the procedure],'' Catlett said. "We're talking to Dr. [David] Stoll [the team physician] and we're talking to Jonathan's mother and trying to come to a decision.''
Hobbling on the knee for more than a month, Hargett has been in a shooting slump that has dropped his field goal percentage to under 30 percent. But without another experienced point guard on the roster, he has continued to play the vast majority of the minutes at the position as the Mountaineers (7-7, 0-3 Big East) have lost six of seven games after a 6-1 start.
If Hargett can't play tonight against Rutgers (10-6, 1-3), Catlett said he is not sure what adjustments he will make in his lineup. Shooting guard Lionel Armstead has played the point and sophomore Jay Hewitt is in reserve. Catlett even mentioned the possibility of going to seldom-used sophomore Tobias Seldon.
On the upside, if there is a team that is generally good medicine for what ails West Virginia, it is Rutgers. The Mountaineers have won the last four meetings between the teams and nine of the last 12.
The games are always wars, however. With the exception of a 26-point blowout win by the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers three years ago, WVU's last five wins in the series have come by a total of 15 points, including three two-point games and a 67-64 victory last January at Rutgers.
Rutgers' leading scorer is 6-foot-2 junior college transfer guard Jerome Coleman, who averages 15.9 points and has 44 3-pointers.
His backcourt mate is sophomore point guard and former high school teammate (Paul Robeson High in Brooklyn) Mike Sherrod, who averages 9.4 points and in his last three games has 18 assists against just two turnovers.
Up front, the Knights have 6-6, 275-pound Fairmont native Rashod Kent (9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds), 6-4 freshman wing Ricky Shields (10.7 points) and 6-10 junior Eugene Dabney (7.5 points, 5.4 rebounds). First off the bench is 6-10 sophomore Herve Lamizana (9.8 points).
The game will be televised by Fox Sports Pittsburgh.
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, use e-mail or call 348-1734.
Back to Gazette Online
? Copyright 2001 The Charleston Gazette
