On Monday afternoon, Binghamton men’s basketball head coach Tommy Dempsey announced that sophomore guard Romello Walker will miss the remainder of the 2015-16 season due to a shoulder injury. Walker had not played since BU’s game at Michigan State on December 5.

Last season, Walker was instrumental in the Bearcats strong finish– in which BU captured two of its final three America East games. He started 31 games for Binghamton as a freshman and averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on the year.

This season, Walker played in just seven games for BU, starting two of them. His averages dipped to 4.9 and 3.1 points and rebounds per contest, respectively.

“Everybody loves Melo [Walker], so it wasn’t easy to see him go down for the year,” Dempsey said. “But, you just roll with the punches. I know it’s a little bit clichéd but injuries are a part of sports. We’ve not been very lucky over the past couple of years, but nobody is going to feel sorry for you.”

According to Dempsey, because he only played in seven games this season, Walker is expected to receive a medical redshirt and not lose a year of eligibility. This means that Walker would return as a redshirt sophomore and be eligible to be on the Bearcat roster through the 2018-19 season.

“Just a tough break for us and we have to fight through it and just support him,” Dempsey said. “It’s never easy on a young man when they find out they’re out for the season. But, I do think that it was somewhat of a positive knowing that we would be able to get the year back.”

Walker is the second Bearcat guard to go down with an injury this season, as junior Yosef Yacob suffered a shoulder injury in preseason practice and is also missing the year. The Bearcats, who entered the season with depth at the position are now thin at both guard spots. This will lead to increased playing time for redshirt freshman guard John Schurman and freshman guard Timmy Rose.

Schurman, a strong shooter, struggled to open the season, but has since seemed to have found his stroke, knocking down five 3-pointers over his last three games. Rose, a walk-on, has seen limited minutes, but impressed in the Bearcats victory over Colgate, scoring seven points in 13 minutes of action.

“We definitely have to get more minutes out of our bench,” Dempsey said. “We talked about it the other day as a team. We have to pick up the slack and we have to pick it up in practice just as far as getting them more reps with some of the starters. But, it is going to be key to our success as this season moves forward if some guys off the bench can really contribute.”

Binghamton is set to return to action on Tuesday against Florida International. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.