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Sprained left shoulder to sideline Indiana freshman center Luke Fischer

fischer

Indiana Athletics

Mike Dickbernd

Just three days after announcing that freshman wing Troy Williams would be sidelined due to an injured right hand, Indiana announced on Thursday that fellow freshman Luke Fischer would be out for a “few weeks” after spraining his left shoulder in a scrimmage. Fischer, who earned Mr. Basketball and Gatorade state Player of the Year honors in Wisconsin last year, is a 6-11 big man expected to factor into the Hoosiers’ accounting for the departure of Cody Zeller.

“Luke has made great strides and was playing with great confidence,” Crean said in a statement according to the Indianapolis Star. “He was being aggressive in his pursuit for the basketball when it happened.”

Of course there are other personnel losses for the Hoosiers to address as they look to repeat as Big Ten regular season champions, including Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls. But the center position is the spot where the Hoosiers are least experienced. Zeller finished the 2012-13 season with a possession percentage of 26.6%, and his offensive rating of 119.4 ranked second in the Big Ten behind Michigan’s Trey Burke (per kenpom.com).

Can Fischer and/or sophomore Peter Jurkin give Indiana a formidable option at center? Even with the return of Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey and the addition of a talented recruiting class headlined by 6-10 forward Noah Vonleh, Indiana will need their two young centers to hold their own inside if they’re to build on last season’s success.

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