Late Friday night, Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman reported Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford has announced that sophomore guard Brian Williams is out for the season with a wrist injury.
It was reported on Wednesday that the 6-foot-5 Williams was dealing with a serious issue when he initially hurt his wrist after a fall earlier in the week , as Ford talked about it at the Big 12 Media Day:
Kelly Hines, of the Tulsa World, reported that Williams will be in a cast for three months, followed by an additional month of rehab.
Oklahoma State will use a medical redshirt for Williams.
This is tough news for the Cowboys, as Williams was expected to play a big role for OK State. With his size and versatility, he was going to switch between positions and be asked to help crash the boards. As a redshirt freshman last season, Williams averaged 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
The loss of Williams effects Oklahoma State even more because senior forward Jean-Paul Olukemi is dealing with an eligibility issue that could end his playing career after the fall semester.
According to a report by NewsOK.com (which was included in Rob Dauster’s post from Wednesday), the 6-foot-6 Olukemi was encouraged to take classes at a local junior college, while enrolled at Stoneridge Preparator, before he joined Oklahoma State. Without knowing, he had begun his eligibility early.
Only a week into the season and Ford and the Cowboys have several voids to fill before the opening game on Nov. 9 against UC-Davis.
Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne