Injury bug gnaws on Redhawks once again

~ David Johnson is likely out for the season, while Eric Jones will miss time.

The tough-luck rookie season at Southeast Missouri State for David Johnson is almost certainly over.

Johnson had hernia surgery last Tuesday, which will likely sideline him from six to eight weeks, meaning at best he would only be able to return for the final few games, and that wouldn't even take into account the conditioning needed when he did come back.

Southeast coach Gary Garner said on Monday during his weekly media conference that, since Johnson has only played in three games so far, he should be able to use this season as a redshirt, meaning the junior college transfer would still have two years of eligibility remaining.

"It doesn't look good for us that he can play this year," Garner said. "But he should be able to get a medical hardship."

Johnson, a junior guard, missed much of preseason practice with a sprained thumb. He was not expected to play in the opener against Truman State, but came off the bench to score 11 points and help Southeast post a narrow win.

Johnson missed the next game, a loss to IPFW, after suffering a head injury in practice. He returned and made his first start at South Dakota State, leading the Redhawks with 16 points and seven rebounds as they posted their only road win so far.

Hernia problems cropped up prior to the contest at Nebraska, which limited his playing time. He has not played in the Redhawks' last three games.

Johnson is Southeast's third-leading scorer at 9.7 points per game, and he still ranks third in steals with eight. His shooting percentage of 44.4 is second on the team, and he was shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

"It's been a bad-luck season for David, and he was really playing well," Garner said. "But he should still have two years with us, and he's going to be a very good player."

Jones out for a while

Freshman guard Eric Jones, who had by far his best game at Southeast during Saturday's 79-65 loss to Tennessee Tech, will probably miss a few games after suffering a sprained ankle late in the contest.

Garner said Jones definitely won't see action Friday night when Southeast (3-4) hosts NAIA Central Methodist (5-5).

Jones is also doubtful for the Redhawks' upcoming two-game Ohio Valley Conference road trip to Alabama, as they play Samford on Monday and Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Then Southeast will have a week off before visiting nationally ranked Illinois on Dec. 28.

"He sprained it pretty good, but it wasn't quite as bad as they [trainers] thought after the game," Garner said. "It's still bad, but after the game they thought it was really bad.

"I doubt if he'll be really fine until after Christmas."

Jones came off the bench to score 12 points against Tennessee Tech, after he had scored eight points all season. Jones hit four of five shots, including two of three 3-pointers, after he had not attempted a 3-pointer all season.

The index finger on Jones' right hand that he broke early in the season is only now getting close to 100 percent, Garner said.

"That's the hand you shoot with the most, pass with the most," Garner said. "Now that finger is getting better and better. We saw that Saturday night. As the year goes by, he'll get more and more playing time."