MBB : Moussa Keita to have surgery in near future
Baye Moussa Keita
Syracuse freshman center Baye Moussa Keita will undergo surgery ‘in the near future,’ said director of athletic communications Pete Moore on Tuesday.
Moore said the team is not releasing any more information about the surgery, but that it would likely happen next week.
Moussa Keita injured his left wrist midway through the 2010-11 SU season, though Moore did not confirm the surgery will be on the wrist. As early as the Orange’s Feb. 2 win at Connecticut, Moussa Keita’s wrist was heavily wrapped with white tape.
His wrist remained taped through the rest of the season — including at SU’s practices — until the Orange’s season ended with a 66-62 loss to Marquette on March 20 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Moussa Keita said after SU’s 90-68 loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 25 that his wrist was ‘sore,’ but he would play through it. According to The Post-Standard, Moussa Keita said after the Orange’s Feb. 19 win over Rutgers that he received an injection to the wrist that allowed him to play through the bothersome pain.
Moussa Keita played just four minutes in Syracuse’s Tournament loss to Marquette, spending most of the second half on the SU sidelines with a towel draped over his head.
After the game, his performance, combined with that of fellow freshman center Fab Melo, prompted SU head coach Jim Boeheim to say the duo ‘wasn’t ready’ for Tournament play.
Moussa Keita figures to be an important part of the Syracuse rotation next season. With senior Rick Jackson departing, Moussa Keita will look to continue contributing from the starting center position, which he took over at the Orange’s game at Louisville on Feb. 12.
In 35 games that included 10 starts, Moussa Keita averaged 2.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Melo will also return down low, and Syracuse will welcome the addition of incoming freshman Rakeem Christmas. Sophomore DaShonte Riley, who redshirted this season with an injury similar to a stress fracture in his right foot, will also play for the Orange.
Published on March 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm
