The task of accounting for the loss of last season’s Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in T.J. Cline became a bit more difficult for the Richmond Spiders, as it was announced on Tuesday that redshirt junior guard Khwan Fore has been sidelined due to a stress reaction in his left tibia. According to the school, Fore is expected to miss four to six weeks as he works his way back to full strength.
Fore, who like Cline and ShawnDre’ Jones started all 35 games for the Spiders last season, averaged 11.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a redshirt sophomore. After appearing in just two games before suffering a season-ending foot injury during the 2014-15 season, Fore had not missed a game for Richmond.
With Tuesday’s announcement, Fore would not return until late November if he’s to be back on the court in four weeks.
With the aforementioned Cline and Jones out of eligibility, Fore’s injury places even more responsibility upon the shoulders of sophomore guard De’Monte Buckingham. As a freshman, Buckingham averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and was named Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year.
A preseason second-team all-conference selection, Buckingham and fellow sophomore guard Nick Sherod (7.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) will lead the way for Richmond in Fore’s absence.