Washington was dealt a big blow to one of their big men on Tuesday when head coach Lorenzo Romar announced that Shawn Kemp Jr. would miss the next 6-8 weeks with a tear in his patella tendon.
Kemp won’t need surgery to repair the injury, but he still could end up being out of the lineup until Pac-12 play begins in early January.
The front court is the one place where the Huskies couldn’t afford any injuries. Senior center Aziz N’Diaye is back to anchor the front line’s defense, but Romar won’t have another upperclassmen in the paint. Despite playing just 6.5 minutes per game last season, Kemp could have found himself in line for a starting spot this year. Instead, sophomores Martin Breunig and Austin Sefrian-Jenkins and freshman Jernard Jerreau will have to provide valuable minutes until Kemp can get healthy.
If you couldn’t figure it out by his name, Kemp is the son and namesake of the former Supersonic and dunk machine.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.