The big guy won’t be back.
College of Southern Idaho center Aziz N’diaye did not receive medical clearance Tuesday to return to action and will miss all of the 2009-10 basketball season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee last May.
N’diaye, a 7-foot-1 center from Dakar, Senegal, had surgery in June and had hoped to return to action for the final half of the season. He visited Dr. Thomas Rosenburg in Utah on Tuesday, but was told he needed more time to ensure the knee is fully healthy.
“Right now, it’s still just not stable enough in (Rosenburg’s) mind for 5-on-5 action,” said CSI head coach Steve Gosar.
The news didn’t come as a surprise to N’diaye.
“I had to be honest with myself,” he said after practice Tuesday. “I knew I wasn’t ready yet.”
N’diaye said doctors told him there’s a good chance he could reinjure the knee by coming back now. The ligament in his knee is only 50-percent healed, while the muscles are at 80 percent, he said. N’diaye will continue physical therapy in the coming months and said he is cleared to take part in individual drills. He is on course to graduate from CSI in April, which is when he plans to sign with one of the many top-tier NCAA Division I programs recruiting him, a list that includes Duke and Oklahoma.
N’diaye averaged 8.5 points and 7.9 rebounds as a freshman and was expected to be one of the top JUCO centers in the nation this season. But with this season turning into a medical redshirt year, he’ll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“I’m looking for the future,” he said.
While his long-term career is on his mind, N’diaye added, “I’m still a part of this team and I’ll be there with them all the way to the end.”
The Golden Eagles (17-11) play at home Thursday for the first time since Nov. 28, hosting Eastern Utah in a 7:30 p.m. tip.
