Binghamton University men’s basketball head coach Tommy Dempsey confirmed on Monday that junior guard and leading scorer Rob Mansell will sit out the 2012-13 season as a redshirt to fully recover from the medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and the meniscus tear that prematurely ended his sophomore campaign. Dempsey said the decision, which will grant Mansell two years of eligibility when he returns for the 2013-14 season, should allow the star guard time to regain full strength.
“I just don’t think [playing this year would be] in his best interest,” Dempsey said. “Although he would probably be able to go in in January and February, I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do as far as him wasting a lot of this year.”
The loss of Mansell follows the transfers of Ben Dickinson, Chris Longoria and Omar Richards at the end of last semester, leaving Binghamton without four of its top five leading scorers from last season. Mansell led the Bearcats with an average of 14 points per game in 2012-13.
The team is set to bring in a pair of freshmen and three transfers to fill the void.
“I do think if we can get [Mansell] healthy, he can practice with us every day, he can improve on his skills and hopefully come back and have two big years to finish his career,” Dempsey said.
Correction: Oct. 4, 2012
An article in the Oct. 2, 2012 edition of Pipe Dream about men’s basketball junior guard Rob Mansell stated that he will redshirt the 2012-13 season due to a season-ending MCL tear. The article failed to mention that Mansell suffered an ACL tear and meniscus tear in addition to the MCL injury.