Penn State basketball was laready without one of its lead guards going into the home game against UCLA. Now the program might have to go without another key player.
Redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V left the 71-60 loss to the Bruins early due to an injury. He late reappeared on the bench with his right ankle wrapped in an ace bandage and ice. Head coach Mike Rhoades was asked about the status of Dilione after the game.
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“It was a sprained ankle,” Rhoades said about Dilione’s injury. “Hopefully he’s just got to get in there and get started on recovery. I’m sure the doctors will check him out tonight and again first thing in the morning.
“Just a basketball injury. You just have to live in the training room until you feel better.”
Sprained ankles can vary in severity; there’s a chance Dilione, who averages around 14 points per game and is one of the top perimeter shooters on the team, doesn’t miss any games. But there’s an equal chance he misses multiple games as he recovers and learns to trust his ankle again.
With several days off before the team travels to play Maryland, fans will have to wait and see if Dilione will be available, and how good he’ll be if he is.
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The Nittany Lions are already hurting in the backcourt as star freshman guard Kayden Mingo has missed the last few games with what was later revealed as a broken nose he suffered in practice the day before the Michigan game. As the team continues searching for its first conference win of the season, Penn State might have to accomplish that without its two leading scorers.
Dilione’s injury also led to extended minutes for Eli Rice, Dominick Stewart and Melih Tunca, the latter two whom played 36 and 33 minutes, respectively, against UCLA. If Dilione can’t go, those number will likely increase.
“You just got to keep moving forward,” Rhoades said about playing while missing players due to injury. “To close the margin of error, you have to get the rebound on the backside; you have to execute the play a little bit better. Some of it is inexperience, but you still got to find a way.
“No excuses.”
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Fortunately for Penn State basketball, the tough early portion of conference play, where three of the first four opponents were ranked, is over. Unless Wisconin is ranked in the upcoming poll, the Nittany Lions won’t face a ranked opponent for the rest of the month.
Still, that doesn’t guarantee the young squad will get its first conference win anytime soon. That only comes with holding the lead after the 40 minutes have concluded. But the odds will be higher going forward.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: PSU hoops’ Mike Rhoades gives injury update on Freddie Dilione V
