Kansas University shooting guard Michael Lee will miss six to eight weeks of basketball after suffering a broken right collarbone at practice Friday.
Lee, a 6-foot-3 junior starter from Portland, Ore., who sustained the injury while running through a screen set by senior guard/forward Bryant Nash, will not need surgery.
Instead, Lee’s right (shooting) arm will be placed in a sling for approximately three weeks. If the collarbone heals properly, Lee could return to “performing basketball duties and be playing by the fifth or sixth week,” KU coach Bill Self said, adding, “he’ll keep a great attitude, and he’ll be ready to go by Big 12 play.”
In the interim, the Jayhawks, who open the conference season Jan. 5 at Colorado, will miss Lee — a lot.
“This is a big blow to our team,” Self said. “More than anything, you lose toughness and experience and a guy in my opinion who is a serious threat beyond the arc.”
Self said players like J.R. Giddens, Jeremy Case, Jeff Hawkins and Nash would have to step up to fill the void.
“Those guys have to come through,” Self said. “One of those guys will have to come through, which I’m sure they will.”
Lee averaged 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds while logging 25.5 minutes per game in KU’s first two games, both victories.
“I’m sad it happened,” said Lee’s best buddy, KU point guard Aaron Miles. “I want him to play all the games with me, with us, but he’ll be back strong. I know that. He’s in God’s hands.”
One of the team’s most outgoing players, Lee had tried to take on even more of a leadership role lately.
“He is upbeat,” Self said. “If there is a positive, it is, at least it happened early enough you can get him back for the Big 12 season, and it does not require surgery. Surgery would not speed it (healing) up, is what I understand.”
Lee, who will be able to condition by riding the stationary bike, had earned a starting role, Self indicated.
“He for sure would have started over the next short period of time,” said Self, noting Giddens would be the likely candidate to be penciled in as a starter for Monday’s game at TCU.
“It’s Mike’s starting position until somebody beats him out,” Self added. “I loved the way Mike played against Michigan State.”
Giddens, an athletic 6-5, 195-pound freshman from Oklahoma City, had some dazzling dunks in Tuesday’s victory over the Spartans.
“J.R. Giddens has really pleased me,” Self said. “Three weeks ago, he wasn’t close. Now in a short amount of time, he’s real close. J.R. is coming fast.”
“Wayne is a little beat up; he’ll be fine,” Self said of Simien, who slid while going for a loose ball at practice the day before the Michigan State game and suffered a slight groin strain. “He was sore, but not actually beat up to the point he could not play in the game. This is precautionary so we won’t have to deal with it in the future.”
Simien showed no ill effects versus the Spartans, exploding for a career-high 28 points.
“It was almost over. We didn’t even go hard this morning, either, 35 minutes of live stuff,” Self said. “Everything else was individual (workouts).”
6Sports video: Michael Lee injured at practice