Basketball guard Weary breaks hand, out of lineup
Another starter will miss time from the starting lineup on the CMU men’s basketball team after a season ravaged by injuries.
Junior guard Antonio Weary is expected to miss four to six weeks after fracturing the second metatarsal bone in his left hand Sunday during the second half of the team’s 85-38 exhibition win over Marygrove.
“Antonio is a starter that we really are dependent upon,” said coach Ernie Zeigler. “It’s going to be a situation where we got to have guys step up.”
Weary had four points and one assist in 23 minutes Sunday. He averaged 3.9 points per game coming off the bench for the Chippewas last season.
Junior guard and Trinity Valley Community College (Houston, Tex.) transfer Amir Rashid is nursing a knee injury, but expected to return to the active roster by the first game, Nov. 14 against Princeton at Rose Arena.
CMU went most of last season without junior Marko Spica and senior Chris Kellermann because of injury. Both since returned to the team’s starting lineup, joining senior guards Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman.
The injury opens the door for freshman guard Finnis Craddock and junior college transfer Jalin Thomas to fill the open spot. In their CMU debuts Sunday, Craddock scored 11 points, while Thomas had five points and nine rebounds.
“Those guys will have a grand opportunity to be in that first group,” Zeigler said. “We’re just going to need them to mature quicker,” he said.
With the injury, Saturday’s exhibition game against Indiana University-South Bend becomes even more important, Zeigler said.
“It’s going to be an opportunity for those guys (Craddock and Thomas) to get even more comfortable and show that they can carry over what we’re stressing and working on in preparing for that game.”
Tipoff against IU-South Bend is noon Saturday at Rose Arena. CMU will open the regular season Nov. 14 against Princeton at Rose Arena.
“We’ve been down this road, in terms of adversity, before,” Zeigler said. “It doesn’t change our mission. We have to come together even more so (now).”
