WSU point guard dealing with knee injury

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Reds' six-game winning streak broken
5/26/12
Annual Warrior Soccer Classic kicks off today
5/26/12
Dragons' rally falls short against Lansing
5/26/12
WSU baseball ousted from tournament
5/26/12
> More sports headlines

By Marc Katz, Staff Writer 11:47 PM Thursday, December 10, 2009

FAIRBORN — It appears starting point guard N’Gai Evans will not be able to play Sunday, Dec. 13, when Wright State plays a nonconference basketball game at Miami University.

Evans went down with a right knee injury in the second half of Tuesday’s game at Toledo, and while he was able to walk out of the arena under his own power and the players had days off from practice Wednesday and Thursday, Evans was told he had an medial collateral ligament sprain and shouldn’t play in Sunday’s game.

“It shouldn’t affect me,” the junior said. “I think I’ll be ready to play next Wednesday (at Mississippi State). I hit (teammate) Cooper Land and went down. I hoped it wasn’t bad, and after I got up and started feeling around, everything was attached.”

Taking Evans’ place at the point will be a committee, led by junior Scott Grote and freshman Darian Cartharn with probably a little Vaughn Duggins mixed in.

Another point guard, senior John David Gardner, is on the waiting list. He’s recovering from hip surgery and is expected to be cleared to play around the first of the year.

70th, historic or not

Coach Brad Brownell won his 70th game at Wright State on Tuesday and now trails only Ralph Underhill (147 in Division I) and Ed Schilling (75) in victories at the school.

“I like what we’re doing since we’ve been here,” Brownell said, “but it’s not like it’s historic.”

Underhill won 356, including Division II, but could not paste together three straight 20-win seasons in D-I, as Brownell has.

Credibility

Brownell thought he could win at WSU right away, and told his players that at his first game, at Miami, on Nov. 11, 2006, trailing by five at the half.

“My expectations were higher than the players’,” Brownell said. “I made sure they understood that. I told them, ‘We need to win this game. We should win this game.’ ”

Wright State won the game. “It gives you credibility,” Brownell said.

He still has it.

Share this article