Penn State guard Tim Frazier will miss the rest of Penn State's season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon, according to team spokesperson Brian Siegrist.
The senior guard injured himself in the first half of the Nittany Lions' loss to Akron on Sunday in the Puerto Rico Tipoff tournament and it will be the last time he suits up this season. The injury didn't look like much early, and he was able to walk out of the arena under his own power.
However, the Houston, Texas, native was checked out by team doctors in State College yesterday, who had bad news. Frazier is slated to undergo surgery to repair the injury Tuesday.
This loss could be detrimental to the team as Frazier was its unquestioned leader. Frazier led the team in nearly every major statistical category last season with 18.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 37.1 minutes per game. He was named a first-team All-Big Ten player by the media.
"Tim is a tremendous player, a great team leader and just a fantastic young man who put a ton of hard work into having a terrific senior season,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said in a press release. “I have no doubt he will meet this challenge and will again be one of the top players in the nation.”
In four games this season, Frazier scored a team-leading 65 points (16.3 ppg) and had 15 assists while pulling down 18 rebounds.
The 6-foot-1 guard is eligible to apply for a medical redshirt and could possibly play again for the Lions next season. Chambers will hold a press conference today at 1:30 p.m. for more information on his star player's season-ending injury.
