by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After a successful surgery, Tony Danridge is expected to be absent from the UNM basketball team until January.
Danridge fractured his left fibula - a long, thin bone running from the knee to the ankle - Thursday in a pickup game at the UNM practice facility.
The senior guard averaged 12.5 points per game last season and played 95 straight games, including all 32 last season.
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UNM senior J.R. Giddens said losing Danridge is a blow to
the team.
"It's kind of like a bad dream," he said. "We all love Tony. That's our team captain, and we wish him the best for his recovery."
Even though he was disappointed with the injury, UNM head coach Steve Alford was optimistic after the surgery and is hopeful Danridge's rehab goes well.
Alford said that with the type of injury Danridge suffered, things could have turned out worse.
"It was a bad fracture - it was a long fracture," Alford said. "But the doctors did a great job. The surgery went extremely well."
Even though the team is hopeful Danridge will heal in time for Mountain West Conference play, the team is preparing for a couple of scenarios, Alford said.
If the rehab takes longer than expected or the recovery isn't as quick as he would like, Danridge may have the option of having a redshirt season and returning next year.
Until then, the Lobos have to prepare for the season without Danridge. Alford said he was expecting Giddens and Danridge to be a strong one-two punch, but now other players will have to take one more responsibility.
"You're going into the season thinking that you got J.R. and Tony on your wings, and those are two pretty good, dynamic wings," he said. "Obviously, now that's not going to take place in the first several months. So, now roles may change a little bit."
Giddens is the returning leading scorer after averaging nearly 16 points per game last season. With Danridge, the second-leading scorer, out for an extended period of time, UNM will have to look elsewhere for offense.
Giddens said it won't be up to just one guy to help fill that gap.
"I think it's going to be a collective team effort," he said. "We just have to up our team chemistry with a key player like Tony Danridge out because he means so much to this team."
The Lobos will have a chance to get their minds off Danridge's injury this weekend when they participate in the Lobo Howl on Friday in The Pit.
The Howl is a chance for fans to see the men's and women's basketball teams perform in preseason action.
The teams compete in alumni games, 3-point shooting contests, and the men will have a dunk contest.
Giddens said the Howl is an opportunity for fans to get a taste of the upcoming season.
"At the Howl, we like to get out there, strut our stuff and show everybody the new look of the team," he said. "We're just anxious to get out there. It kind of lights us up and gives us a lot of energy."
As the season nears closer, the team will get back to business and try to have a successful season despite Danridge's absence, Giddens said.
"Obviously, we can't replace a Tony Danridge, but we're going to have to do our best to get through the season," he said. "We're going to have our ups and downs, but it will show our maturity as a team how we bounce back from that."
Lobo Howl
Friday, 7 p.m.
The Pit
