Leven out two to four weeks with MCL sprain
JACK DALY Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Sunday, December 5, 2004 12:00 am
BILLINGS, Mont. - Hours before Wyoming's matchup with Montana State on Saturday night, Dion Sherrell took jump shot after jump shot on the MetraPark Arena floor.
Despite being the only player on the hardwood, the Cowboys' shooting guard attracted a crowd. Head coach Steve McClain, assistant John Adams and a number of the managers watched as Sherrell tested his right hand, which he broke in the Pokes' final exhibition game on Nov. 13.
Sherrell deemed the session a success - he's expected to see action on Tuesday when the Cowboys travel to Dayton and was available for emergency duty but didn't play in the Pokes' 71-70 win over the Bobcats.
That was UW's good news on the injury front.
The bad was that Steve Leven wasn't in Billings. The sophomore transfer, who is averaging a Mountain West Conference-leading 20.8 points per game, will miss two to four weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, according to Kevin McKinney, UW's associate athletics director.
Leven sustained the injury when he collided with a teammate during practice on Thursday. Senior Jerry Webb started in his place against Montana State.
"He's down because he was playing so well," said UW head coach Steve McClain when asked about Leven's mood. "Now he's going to have to go through rehab. It's going to be a tough two to four weeks on him. Hopefully it'll be two weeks."
If Leven misses the minimum amount of time, he'd return in time for the Cowboys' Dec. 22 game against Washington State in Laramie. McClain said he's hoping to have him back for the Pokes' game against San Diego on Dec. 28.
Either way, Leven is scheduled to miss at least four games, including key road contests against Dayton (Tuesday) and Creighton (Dec. 18).
Jay Straight, who was averaging 14.3 points per game before tallying 24 against the Bobcats, said he's not going to put any pressure on himself to increase his scoring output.
"I just got to go out there and do what I do," said Straight, who also had five assists in Saturday night's victory. "If I see opportunities to score, I'm going to try. If I see a guy open, I'm going to try to hit him. If not, we're just going to run our offense the way we're capable and get things going."
Ever the optimist, Straight sees a silver lining.
"This is good because the new guys are learning," he said. "Jerry's stepping up, Ebert's stepping up. When Steve comes back, we're going to be that much better."
Senior sports reporter Jack Daly can be reached at (307) 266-0528 or sports@casperstartribune.net