MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota men's basketball endured more bad news Saturday when Richard Pitino announced star Amir Coffey, who is averaging 14.1 PPG and 4.1 RPG and missed Saturday's 75-71 loss to Indiana on Saturday, could miss significant time with a right shoulder injury he suffered in the team's win over Illinois earlier this week.
"[Coffey] won't be back anytime soon," said Pitino, who added he's "hopeful" Coffey will return later this season.
During a win over Illinois, Coffey suffered a humeral avulsion glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) injury that will require extensive rehab.
The news comes a day after the school announced Reggie Lynch, a former Big Ten defensive player of the year and NBA prospect, had been suspended indefinitely after the school's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action found him "responsible" for sexual misconduct in a 2016 incident that allegedly occurred in his dorm room. It was the second sexual assault case attached to Lynch, who was cleared by local police and the university after he was arrested on a sexual assault allegation involving a different woman in May 2016, a month after the April 2016 case that prompted his current suspension.
The Gophers started the season as a Big Ten sleeper after last season's NCAA tournament run. After the latest drama, however, an NCAA tournament berth this season is far from guaranteed.