The bad news went from ‘suspected’ to ‘confirmed’ Tuesday morning.
Arkansas men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson announced that Marshawn Powell will miss the entire 2011-12 season with a knee injury.
Powell injured his knee on Nov. 17 during Arkansas’ practice at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock as the Razorbacks prepared to face the Houston Cougars. According to a news release, a Sunday afternoon MRI revealed that Powell had torn ligaments and would require surgery. UA officials say his timetable for a return is six to eight months.
“This is a big blow to Marshawn and our basketball team,” said Anderson. “He has been working hard on and off the court this year and was in the best shape of his career. This is definitely a setback, but I told him that sometimes you have to have setbacks in order to have a great comeback. He is in good spirits and looking forward to helping his team in any way that he can.”
As a preseason second-team All-SEC candidate, Powell had an excellent start to his third year in Fayetteville. In just two games he had averaged 19.5 points and 6 rebounds, both team highs, and was shooting 71.4 percent from the floor. Powell is Arkansas’ leading returner in both points and rebounds from a year ago.
The Razorbacks face Utah Valley Tuesday (Nov. 22) at Bud Walton Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
