The Fighting Irish will be without preseason All American Bonzie Colson for 8 weeks after suffering a fracture in his left foot in practice last week. Losing the preseason ACC player of the year is a major loss going into conference play.
The following is a statement from head coach Mike Brey through Notre Dame:
“We are feeling it for Bonzie right now, who was performing as well as any player in the country,” coach Mike Brey said in a statement. “We need to embrace this challenge. This program has lost key guys before and we figured out a way to earn an NCAA bid.”
Colson leads the Irish in points (21.4 PPG) and rebounding (10.4 RPG). He also leads the team with nine double-doubles on the season.
Notre Dame (11-3, 1-0 ACC) started the season strong, including a win over Wichita State, but have lost three of eight, including shocking losses to in-state programs Indiana and Ball State. The Fighting Irish’s early ACC schedule will be difficult as they host NC State on Wednesday, followed by road trips to Syracuse and Georgia Tech.
Without Bonzie Colson, Brey will have to lean on his backcourt of Matt Farrell (16.4 PPG) and TJ Gibbs (14.1 PPG). Expect veterans John Mooney (3.5 PPG), Elijah Burns (1.5 PPG) and Austin Torres (1.0 PPG) to see an increase in time with Colson out but keep an eye on prized freshman DJ Harvey to make an impact now. Notre Dame will be lucky to get Colson back for ACC Tournament play.
