LSU forward Tasmin Mitchell will miss six to eight weeks because of a stress fracture in the shin bone of his left ankle.
Mitchell’s injury was diagnosed by team doctors early Monday morning and will require surgery to completely repair.
Mitchell said he isn’t exactly sure how the fracture happened or how long it’s been there.
“I can’t even think how I did it,” Mitchell said. According to WebMD, stress fractures are tiny breaks in the bone usually caused by repetitive stress from activities like running and jumping.
The junior’s initial timetable for recovery would put him back in the lineup midway through January, but both Mitchell and LSU coach John Brady are looking toward future seasons rather than the current season.
“[Mitchell] can probably get a medical redshirt,” Brady said. “That’s probably what we are leaning toward.”
Mitchell, who has averaged 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds playing with the fracture this season, said the injury has finally taken it’s toll.
“Emotionally, it’s hard,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been hurt, and I’ve just been trying to play on it. I really wanted to play and help my team win.” This past season, the 6-foot-7-inch, 228-pound Denham Springs native started all 32 games for the Tigers averaging 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Mitchell’s absence, coupled with the preseason loss of 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pound forward, Quintin Thornton leaves the Tigers lacking a physical presence in the frontcourt.
“What we need is one more post man just to bang against,” Brady said. “We need one more big guy in the middle to anchor the team.”
Garrett Green, a 6-foot-10-inch freshman from Woodland Hills, Calif., will likely receive an increase in playing time because of the Tiger’s sudden lack of size. “[Green] has gone from a possible redshirt to the first sub off the bench on the frontline,” Brady said.
Brady said that although his team has been hit hard with the injury bug this season, the Tigers cannot lean on that as an excuse.
“We’re not the first team [injuries] have ever happened to,” he said. “It’s unfortunate it happened to [Mitchell] because he’s so important to what we do. We can’t control those things, but we can control how we respond, how we react and how we prepare.”
LSU takes the court again Wednesday against Nicholls State in its first of two home games this week. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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