Cougars’ Lacy won’t return any time soon

On January 5, at Arizona State, DaVonte Lacy returned to the court for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy just eight days previously. It was a remarkably quick recovery, but it lasted just over ten minutes before once again Lacy was rushed to the hospital with what the team is calling a “rib injury.” The team got some bad news on Monday when they found out that the injury could keep Lacy – who leads the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game – out of the lineup most of the Pac-12 season. “He had some more CAT scans taken yesterday and now he is out 4 to 6 weeks,” coach Ken Bone said on Tuesday. “Now, 4 to 6 weeks starting on the day he was injured down in Tempe, which was Jan. 5, so 4 to 6 weeks from there.” That timeline would at best prevent Lacy from returning until early February. Even before Monday’s scans, Bone acknowledged that the junior would also need some time to condition his body for the rigors of college basketball. Lacy also missed nine games a year ago with two separate knee injuries. He must once again sit and wait to recover, watching the team practice and play games, but unable to participate. “It’s tough, it definitely hits you because you want to be out there participating and be part of the team,” said Royce Woolridge, who sat out the 2011-12 season after transferring from Kansas. “It’s definitely a struggle.”