Hawes to Have Surgery
Published 9:00 pm Monday, October 9, 2006
The news continues to be bad for the Washington men’s basketball team as star freshman Spencer Hawes will have surgery on Wednesday to remove a loose particle in his right knee, according to a press release issued by the school a few minutes ago.
Hawes is expected to be sidelined 2-to-4 weeks, but exactly how long he’ll be out won’t be known until after the surgery.
Lorenzo Romar said his is optimistic that Hawes won’t be out for every long. He also said that Hawes should not be very far behind – in terms of learning the system – when he does return.
Hawes is projected to be the UW’s starting center and perhaps the best freshman in the Pac-10 this season. He’s looked extremely good in informal scrimmages throughout the preseason.
Hawes is the fifth Husky to get hurt before practice even starts. Center Joe Wolfinger will miss most of the season after foot surgery. Guard Joel Smith is out for about two more weeks after foot surgery. Center Hans Gasser has an ailing shoulder though he should be ready to start the season. And guard Brandon Burmeister also has an injured foot.
With practice starting Friday, Washington has just nine healthy players: Justin Dentmon, Jon Brockman, Ryan Appleby, Artem Wallace, Harvey Perry, Tim Morris, Quincy Pondexter, Adrian Oliver and Phil Nelson. Morris, a Stanford transfer, will redshirt this season.
With just nine healthy players on the roster, it begs the question: How will the Huskies conduct a scrimmage at Friday’s Husky Hoopla event? Will be interesting to see.
