Cougars lose Low to injury
PULLMAN — Derrick Low, Washington State’s point guard and leading scorer, has a broken foot and will miss at least a significant chunk of the remaining season.
An X-ray taken Wednesday afternoon revealed a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot after it was originally thought to be a sprain. Low tripped on the baseline edge of Friel Court in practice Tuesday.
Low, who has averaged 10.5 points a game and 33.2 minutes a game in starting all 11 contests so far, broke the same bone in the third practice of his freshman year in October 2004. That time, the injury required surgery and the insertion of a pin, costing him about seven weeks of fall practice and non-conference play.
It’s not yet known how long the sophomore will be out or if more surgery is required — further tests should tell that story, most likely by today – but Low will almost certainly be out for at least a few weeks.
“I don’t have a time frame, but I assume it’s not good,” associate head coach Tony Bennett said. “We’ll see. We’ll rally.”
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s practice – before the X-ray results were in – head coach Dick Bennett had expressed hope that Low would be able to play hurt Saturday night at Washington if it was just a sprain. But now Low, who was wearing a boot on the injured foot by the end of practice, will be out for more than just that one game.
Losing their point guard should dramatically alter the Cougars’ rotation in upcoming Pac-10 games. While Tony Bennett didn’t offer any specific possibilities, WSU used Kyle Weaver at point guard last year in Low’s absence and he could again see time there now. Senior Randy Green is another option, and sophomore Josh Akognon a third off the bench.
Regardless of how the Bennetts juggle the lineup to adjust, losing Low should be a difficult player to replace. Though he’s been the team leader in points just once this season, Low has consistently been among the team’s leading offensive players, shooting 47.7 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the free-throw line.