Justin Burrell To Miss 4-5 Weeks

Through the years, it seems like injuries have managed to rear their ugly head every season for St. John’s.  Whether it was Anthony Mason Jr. going down for the season after just three games two years ago, or Malik Boothe missing half of the Johnnies’ Big East schedule due to thumb surgery, someone has unfortunately fallen victim to the injury bug at one point or another.  After suffering a facial injury that required him to wear a protective mask for much of his sophomore year, and a sprained ankle last season, Justin Burrell has landed on the shelf again.

The senior forward will miss 4-5 weeks after it was revealed that he fractured the second metacarpal in his left hand following a practice shortly before St. John’s annual Tip-Off event this past Friday, but that only accounts for no more than two games.  If healed properly, Burrell will be back for the Red Storm’s third contest of the season, which comes against Ball State in the Great Alaska Shootout  Head coach Steve Lavin commented on Burrell’s injury by remarking on how “unfortunate” it is for a senior to get injured before the season begins, but shed some positive light on the result, which was, according to Lavin, “better than we anticipated.”  Fortunately for Burrell and fans of the Johnnies, the fracture will not require surgery.

With Burrell out of the lineup while the Johnnies square off against St. Mary’s and Columbia, Lavin can attack both opponents differently.  For starters, he would be able to get away with playing a smaller lineup against the Gaels of St. Mary’s, whose tallest players are 6-9.  This could be an opportunity for someone like true freshman Dwayne Polee or even senior reserve Justin Brownlee to crack the lineup.  However, the likely and most feasible option will be 6-10 senior Dele Coker, especially against Columbia, which features a pair of seven-footers on its roster. Of course, the hope around New York is that Burrell does not fall into the same trap as past Johnnies whose injuries have lingered longer than expected, and the general consensus is that the Bronx native will be ready for the start of Big East play against West Virginia.

With Coker in the lineup, St. John’s not only gets some added height on the hardwood, but they also pick up physicality and shot blocking that Lavin would not normally get from a smaller lineup.  However, should Polee or Brownlee, or maybe even Rob Thomas be inserted into the starting five, St. John’s would play longer and their athleticism would be enhanced.  Lavin could even play three guards as well, with Dwight Hardy potentially joining Paris Horne and Malik Boothe in the backcourt while D.J. Kennedy moves up to the power forward position.

Burrell fractured the second metacarpal on his left hand during a drill at the end of practice on Friday, Oct. 15, at Taffner Field House when he collided with a teammate. After an on-site examination on Friday by the St. John’s medical staff, led by 30-year Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Ron Linfonte, A.T.C., and Aaron Krych, M.D., Sports Medicine Fellow at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Burrell was examined on Monday at HSS by hand specialist Michelle Carlson, M.D. Carlson was able to reduce the fracture and stabilize the broken bone without surgery, reducing the anticipated recovery time. Carlson recommended 4-5 weeks of recovery and rehabilitation, giving Burrell a potential return to the court in early to mid- November.*

Burrell, a 2007-08 member of the BIG EAST All-Rookie team, averaged 9.0 points per game and 4.5 rebounds in 2008-09 despite playing most of the season while wearing a mask to protect three hairline facial fractures. He averaged 6.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a junior in 2009-10, playing in all but five contests because of a high-ankle sprain suffered against Duke.*

The 2010-11 Red Storm men’s squad returns five starters and 12 letterwinners from a 2009-10 team that posted a 17-16 record, reached the first round of the Postseason NIT and are looking to improve upon a 13th-place BIG EAST finish. St. John’s 10-man senior class includes returning scoring leaders D.J. Kennedy (15.1 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 3.1 assists per game, 1.2 steals per game), Dwight Hardy (10.5 ppg, .383 3-point field goal percentage) and Paris Horne (9.2 ppg).*

*Some content was gathered from Red Storm Sports Press Release