Las Vegas — Kansas head coach Bill Self said prior to the start of Tuesday night’s game against Duke that fifth-year guard Shakeel Moore is “going to be out indefinitely” due to ongoing pain in his foot.
Moore broke a bone in his foot during the offseason and missed approximately two months of practice. After he was unable to play in the Jayhawks’ first three games of the season, KU eventually eased him into action with five minutes in each of a pair of games against Oakland and UNC Wilmington on Nov. 16 and 19, respectively, but he was not available to play on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
“He says it’s just too painful right now and he just can’t move — which I believe,” Self said in a pregame interview with analyst Greg Gurley posted on KU men’s basketball social media accounts. “There’s no doubt about that. Structurally it’s OK. But it just hasn’t responded to the pounding yet that we hope it can.”
Self said that the Jayhawks are “hopeful to get him back before Christmas.” KU hosts Brown on Dec. 22 before beginning its Big 12 schedule on New Year’s Eve against West Virginia.
Moore played one year at N.C. State and then three at Mississippi State before signing with KU as a grad transfer in June. Self has spoken highly of Moore’s on-ball defense; as a junior, the guard was selected to the watchlist for national defensive player of the year honors.
If healthy, he could slot in as the backup point guard to Dajuan Harris Jr. His extended absence could mean more time handling the ball for Zeke Mayo and David Coit.
Nick Krug
