Coleman injury minor
LSU senior forward Shavon Coleman was taken out of Wednesday night’s win against Mississippi State for an apparent injury sustained in the closing minutes of the game.
Coleman was called for a foul on Mississippi State guard Trivante Bloodman with 44 seconds remaining in the game, but immediately went down with what looked like an injury to the face or eye after the play.
“I think he got hit maybe in the face or something, and I haven’t had the chance to visit with anybody about what happened,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones.
“They just said he got hit there in the face and we had to take him out.”
Jones said he suspects the injury to be minor and didn’t seem to be concerned.
Coleman finished the game with 18 points and four steals before the injury.
O’Bryant honored for 1,000-point club
Prior to the start of Wednesday’s game, Jones presented LSU junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III with a commemorative basketball for becoming the 40th Tiger in program history to earn a spot in the 1,000-point club.
“I’ve tried talking to him and see if he can get another 500 before he leaves here,” Jones joked. “It’s always excellent when guys see their hard work pay off.”
O’Bryant surpassed the milestone in last week’s game against Arkansas, but hadn’t had the chance to be officially acknowledged on his home court before Wednesday. He is also the 21st LSU basketball player to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.
O’Bryant posted six points against Mississippi State before fouling out late in the game, tying his second-lowest point total of the season and keeping him at the No. 40 spot. He remains just 11 points behind former LSU player Glenn Hansen (1973-75).
The Mississippi native is No. 22 on LSU’s all-time rebounding list with 630 career boards.
Assistant coach David Patrick takes leave of absence
Jones announced after Wednesday’s game that LSU assistant coach David Patrick has taken a leave of absence to tend to his mother back home in Australia as she battles cancer.
“It’s been extremely tough for him,” Jones said. “Please stay prayerful for him.”
Patrick is in his first season with LSU after previously serving as a player personnel scout for the Houston Rockets.
Patrick graduated from Chapel Trafton High School in Baton Rouge before playing a season at Syracuse where he was a member of the 1996 Final Four team. He would transfer to Louisiana-Lafayette the following season.