Myles Powell’s left ankle injury puts a damper on the hopeful start to Seton Hall’s season, but the situation is not as bad as it seems.
Seton Hall moves to 2-0 on the season after cruising to a 74-57 victory over Stony Brook, but the major story revolves around Myles Powell‘s ankle. The senior guard and preseason All-American left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and would not return.
After the game, head coach Kevin Willard delivered the bad news.
“Injuries happen and especially with where he is at in his career, I’m probably going to be extra safe,” Willard said after the game, per Chris McManus of SHUHoops.com. “I’ll hold him out as long as I need to make sure he comes back to where I don’t affect his future. It doesn’t look like a one-game, two-game (injury). This might be a prolonged absence.”
“He sprained his ankle pretty good,” Willard told AM 970 after the game. “He came down and really stepped on that guy’s foot and rolled it outside. It wasn’t a good one, let’s put it that way. He’s actually out getting x-rays right now. We’ll see how he looks but he’ll probably be out for a while. This might be a good two- or three-weeker.”
This is gutting news for the Pirates, who were preparing for one of the biggest games in program history this week. Seton Hall will welcome Michigan State to the Prudential Center on Thursday, Nov. 14.
The top-ranked Spartans fell to Kentucky in their season opener. Although they won’t be ranked No. 1 when they come to Jersey, the game was supposed to be an early test for the No. 12 Pirates.
Without Powell, Willard and Seton Hall will have their hands full with an absolutely loaded Michigan State squad.
On the bright side, Willard can begin the search for a secondary star to take some of the pressure off of Powell this season. The Trenton native is one of the best players in the country and everything Seton Hall does runs through him.
Although the Pirates might struggle while Powell works his way back, this provides an opportunity for the rest of the group to grow.
This is a tough pill to swallow for Hall fans, but making sure Powell is fully healthy for a run in March matters more than a few games in November.
