SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Junior guard Eric Devendorf, the
second-leading scorer for the Syracuse Orange, will miss the rest
of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his
left knee.
An MRI on Sunday revealed the injury, according to Pete Moore,
director of athletic communications.
Devendorf was hurt the first minute of the second half of
Syracuse's 125-75 victory Saturday night over ETSU. He had just led
a fast break and passed the ball to Paul Harris for a layup when he
fell awkwardly near the Syracuse bench.
Devendorf winced in pain and was in tears as he was carried to
the locker room. He never returned.
The university is investigating a medical redshirt for
Devendorf, a solid penetrator and long-range threat who already has
surpassed 1,000 points in his career at Syracuse.
Before he was hurt, Devendorf had scored 19 points and equaled
his career high with five 3-pointers. He was averaging 17 points a
game.
"We can't afford to lose a guy like Eric," head coach Jim
Boeheim said after the lopsided victory. "He's a tremendous
player. There's nothing you can do. You just make up for it the
best you can. We'll play the other guys that are healthy.
"It's a great opportunity for our young guys," said Boeheim,
who has five freshmen on his roster. "They're going to have to
step up."
The loss of Devendorf, a former McDonald's All-American and a
preseason All-Big East guard, leaves Boeheim without three guards
that played last year.
Andy Rautins suffered a torn ACL during the summer playing for
Team Canada in the FIBA Americas Championship and won't play again
until next year. And Josh Wright, the lone senior on the team,
might be staring at the end of his Syracuse career. Wright has only
logged 19 total minutes in the four games he has played in and did
not show for six other games, including Saturday night.
"Josh Wright did not come to practice this week, so I assume
he's not going to play basketball any more this year," Boeheim
said.