Spring Break
Dyson downed by knee injury
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Sports
Jerome Dyson was coming off a 19-point effort - his highest scoring total since Dec. 20 - in last Saturday's victory over Michigan.
Wednesday versus Syracuse, Dyson played just four minutes and didn't score.
The 6-foot-3 junior shooting guard banged his right knee against Syracuse's Andy Rautins while fighting over a pick and immediately dropped to the ground. He was helped to his feet after a minute or so, but couldn't put any weight on his injured leg.
"There are no bone structural issues," said team spokesman Kyle Muncy. "There is no concern that its an MCL or ACL. It's a severe bruise to his right knee. Dr. Anderson said he was banged into so hard that it might be a hyperextension. He will have an MRI tomorrow."
Fortunately for UConn, Price and the rest of the backcourt picked up the slack when Dyson was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Price scored a team-high 17 points and knocked down four 3-pointers while Craig Austrie chipped in with 10 points, five boards and three assists in 29 minutes. Freshman point guard Kemba Walker also saw increased playing time, as he finished with seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes of action.
"We lost a key player," Austrie said. "I just wanted to go out there and fill my role for the team. We had Kemba step up, too. We just had fun out there."
According to coach Jim Calhoun, Walker's contribution to the game goes far beyond the stat sheet, which didn't account for the tight defense he played on Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn.
"Johnny Flynn in my opinion, is an NBA point guard," Calhoun said. "Kemba's one of the few guys who can take charges on him, get into him, get under him. That's what he does. Kemba Walker, also, by the way, was our second-leading rebounder tonight … He's a pretty special player."
Walker, who averaged 19 points per game as a McDonald's All-American at Rice High School (Bronx, N.Y.) last season, isn't used to seeing mediocre statistics next to his name in the box score, but quite frankly, he really doesn't care.
Wednesday versus Syracuse, Dyson played just four minutes and didn't score.
The 6-foot-3 junior shooting guard banged his right knee against Syracuse's Andy Rautins while fighting over a pick and immediately dropped to the ground. He was helped to his feet after a minute or so, but couldn't put any weight on his injured leg.
"There are no bone structural issues," said team spokesman Kyle Muncy. "There is no concern that its an MCL or ACL. It's a severe bruise to his right knee. Dr. Anderson said he was banged into so hard that it might be a hyperextension. He will have an MRI tomorrow."
Fortunately for UConn, Price and the rest of the backcourt picked up the slack when Dyson was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Price scored a team-high 17 points and knocked down four 3-pointers while Craig Austrie chipped in with 10 points, five boards and three assists in 29 minutes. Freshman point guard Kemba Walker also saw increased playing time, as he finished with seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes of action.
"We lost a key player," Austrie said. "I just wanted to go out there and fill my role for the team. We had Kemba step up, too. We just had fun out there."
According to coach Jim Calhoun, Walker's contribution to the game goes far beyond the stat sheet, which didn't account for the tight defense he played on Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn.
"Johnny Flynn in my opinion, is an NBA point guard," Calhoun said. "Kemba's one of the few guys who can take charges on him, get into him, get under him. That's what he does. Kemba Walker, also, by the way, was our second-leading rebounder tonight … He's a pretty special player."
Walker, who averaged 19 points per game as a McDonald's All-American at Rice High School (Bronx, N.Y.) last season, isn't used to seeing mediocre statistics next to his name in the box score, but quite frankly, he really doesn't care.
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