Leg injury sidelines Duke freshman Cassius Stanley
Duke will be without freshman guard Cassius Stanley for an extended period of time after he was injured in Friday night’s 83-70 win over Winthrop at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Initially thought to be an injury to his left knee, Stanley has a hamstring muscle injury that figures to need a few weeks to heal, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
“He heard something pop,” Krzyzewski said. “Structurally, based on what our doctor said, right now it’s not the knee. Something happened with his hamstring that he heard pop, so it’s muscular.”
Stanley will have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam on Saturday to better define the exact nature of the injury. But it’s clear he won’t be available when Duke (7-1) plays at No. 3 Michigan State on Tuesday night or when the Blue Devils open ACC play at Virginia Tech on Dec. 6.
“He’s going to be out a while,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s not going to be able to play. Hopefully right after Christmas. That’s my hope.”
The 6-6 Stanley has started all eight of Duke’s games this season, averaging 12.9 points per game. He entered Friday night’s game with Winthrop tied for the team lead in 3-pointers with nine, along with Tre Jones and Matthew Hurt.
Stanley was injured early in the second half. With 18:43 to play, after he took a pass from Jones on a fast break, Stanley leaped awkwardly toward the basket but badly missed a wide-open layup. He landed on the court under the basket to compose himself as play continued on the other end of the court. Stanley grimaced as he stood up and tried to run. He was unable to reach the halfcourt line before he began limping badly.
Timeout was called with 18:26 to play and Duke players Mike Buckmire and Michael Savarino helped Stanley off the court and to the training room as he was unable to bear weight with his left leg.
Stanley scored four points against Winthrop, making 2 of 7 shots. He had one rebound and three assists.
The 28.4 minutes per game Stanley played over Duke’s first seven games was second only to Jones on the team.
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Leg injury sidelines Duke freshman Cassius Stanley."