Mississippi State freshman wing Andre Applewhite will undergo season-ending knee surgery after tearing the ACL and meniscus in his left knee, the school announced Tuesday.
Applewhite, a 6-5 native of Memphis, Tenn., suffered the injuries in practice Friday and becomes the second Mississippi State player to tear his ACL in three months after fellow Jacoby Davis suffered the same injury in July.
New head coach Rick Ray is now left with eight scholarship players for the Bulldogs’ season opener against Troy on Friday.
Ray welcomes a seven-man recruiting class to Starkville after a mass exodus of players followed former coach Rick Stansbury out the door after the 2011-12 season. Among the key departures are forward Arnett Moultrie, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, guard Dee Bost, and center Renardo Sidney.
The Bulldogs were chosen to finish last in the SEC coaches poll for the 2012-13 season.
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_