UH basketball center Joaquim out 4 to 6 weeks with MCL tear
Hawaii's Vander Joaquim battles for a rebound with Fresno State's Garrett Johnson (20) and Kevin Olekaibe (3) in the first half of the Fresno State vs Hawaii basketball game at Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawaii senior center Vander Joaquim will miss four to six weeks with a torn MCL, UH coach Gib Arnold said today.
The 6-foot-10 Angolan suffered the injury in a preseason workout when a teammate rolled into his right leg. He got an MRI this morning.
Joaquim could theoretically return in time for UH’s regular-season opener on Nov. 9. He does not require surgery, Arnold said, as the injury is not as severe as a torn ACL.
“It’s something you just deal with,” Arnold said. “It’s being part of a team, guys working hard. You’ve got big bodies down there. It’s unfortunate, you never want it to happen.”
Joaquim was an All-Western Athletic Conference first-team selection in 2011-12, when he averaged 14.3 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 9.5 rebounds per game.
