In an otherwise sleepy Friday night contest, the Blue Devils received news they did not want to hear: a potentially serious injury for starters.
Just less than two minutes into the second half against Winthrop, Duke guard Cassius Stanley missed a wide-open layup and fell awkwardly, grabbing his left leg as play continued on the other end of the floor. The team announced shortly after that Stanley would not return to the contest.
“Cassius’s injury isn’t a knee injury, we think it’s a hamstring but we’ll know more tomorrow," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game. "We’re thankful it’s not a knee injury but we don’t know how much time he will miss.”
He eventually limped over to the Blue Devils’ bench, where he was met by Duke’s head basketball athletic trainer Jose Fonseca.
Stanley was attended to on the sideline for a few seconds before being escorted off the floor, putting no weight on his left leg as he headed to the locker room.
"Something happened with his hamstring he heard pop. It's muscular. He'll have an MRI tomorrow," Krzyzewski said. "He's not going to play for a while. Hopefully right after Christmas."
The Los Angeles native had a quiet night until that point, scoring just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field.
Note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.