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Minnesota suffered a blow yesterday with the news that sophomore forward Eric Curry will miss the entire 2017-18 season.
Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino announced that sophomore forward Eric Curry suffered a left knee injury, and will miss the season. pic.twitter.com/iO5AurzhTi
— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) August 31, 2017
In a statement released by Minnesota, it was announced that 6’9” Curry tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee when participating in a pickup game on Thursday.
“Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game and we are certainly disheartened by the news,” head coach Richard Pitino said. “Eric had a tremendous summer, but I am positive he will continue to get better as he recovers from this setback.”
In his freshman season Curry played in 34 games, averaging 5.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in a reserve role with the Gophers. While not a starter, Curry provided valuable depth in the frontcourt, especially when Reggie Lynch routinely got into foul trouble (Lynch fouled out of eight games last season).
While the Gophers return starters Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy, Curry was expected to be a key bench player. With Curry now set to miss the season Minnesota will now likely rely on senior Bakary Konate and senior Davonte Fitzgerald to fill the void.