Short-handed UMass men's basketball faces upstart Fordham in A-10 opener
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AMHERST - University of Massachusetts men's basketball freshman big man Cady Lalanne will be sidelined for four to six weeks following a foot injury he suffered late in Friday's win over Central Connecticut.
"He's going to be out for an extended period of time," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "I think he refractured his foot."
That time frame will cost him at least half of UMass' Atlantic 10 season. Kellogg said Lalanne opted against season-ending surgery.
"He's not going to do surgery. It's going to have to heal on its own to see if it can heal a little quicker," Kellogg said. "We're going to give it a prayer and hope he comes back healthy. It's disappointing for Cady, who doesn't deserve this. He's a nice kid and works hard on and off the floor. He was just starting to figure the college game out. He was really settling into his role. It's going to be a blow. Other guys are going to have to step up and pick up some of the slack.."
Fellow freshman Maxie Esho, senior Matt Hill and redshirt freshman walk-on Andrew McCarthy are expected to see increased minutes in Lalanne's absence. Hill is currently sidelined with a knee sprain. He likely won't play tonight against Fordham, but could potentially play Sunday at La Salle.
Lalanne, who missed preseason training with a broken foot, was averaging 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game.
Kellogg will begin sorting out a rotation without Lalanne when the Minutemen (11-3) tip off against the Rams (7-6) at the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.
The Rams, who have won three straight, look like a tougher opponent now than they would have been in December. After beating Texas State, Fordham upended Georgia Tech 72-66 then followed that up with a 60-54 upset of No. 21 Harvard on Tuesday. All three victories were at home.
Even without those wins, the Minutemen weren't likely to look past Fordham. Last year, for the final regular season game they went to the Bronx to face a Rams team that was on a 17-game losing streak and was 0-15 in the Atlantic 10.
But Fordham stunned UMass 77-73 setting up a disastrous end to the Minuteman season.
"With (Chris) Gaston, they have a guy that can dominate the game. Their guards are young but they're New York City kids who know how to play," Kellogg said. "They have a better feel for their blueprint as a team and a program."
Gaston is a junior forward and if the Rams continue to play well, he could be a player of the year candidate in the Atlantic 10. He is fifth in the conference in scoring at 16.8 points per game and leads the A-10 in rebounding at 11.2 per game.
Fordham will have a quick turnaround following Tuesday's win over Harvard.
"It's similar to playing an NBA schedule," said Fordham coach Tom Pecora, who coached UMass point guard Chaz Williams when they were both at Hofstra. Pecora's departure from Hofstra to Fordham was a big reason Williams transferred. Both the player and coach still held each other in high regard.
"He was a great coach and a great guy. We left on good terms. It would be a great experience to play in front of a guy I once played for," Williams said. "I'll probably talk to him after the game. I'm not really a proponent of talking to opponents before the game."
Williams is one of two former Hofstra players who Pecora will face in the Atlantic 10. Saint Joseph's Halil Kanacevic was also on the Pride before Pecora left.
"I thought they'd both end up in the Big East, but now we have to play them in the Atlantic 10," Pecora said. "They're both wonderful kids. I wish them the best every night except when they're playing Fordham."
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
