Dusan Mahorcic is out indefinitely for NC State basketball
NC State super senior post player Dusan Mahorcic will need surgery and is out indefinitely, according to a release from the school. Mahorcic was confirmed to have suffered a dislocated right patella during Tuesday night’s win over Coppin State at historic Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.
Mahorcic was averaging 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while starting all but one of 10 contests thus far for NC State. He was shooting 64.3 percent from the field (36 of 56). He is in his first year with the program after transferring in during the offseason following a stint at Utah.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder has scored in double figures three times thus far this year, and twice he has come close to a double-double. He had 9 points and 13 rebounds in a home win over Elon and contributed 12 points and 9 boards in the victory over William & Mary, which was also at PNC Arena.
Mahorcic has been splitting minutes in the post with fifth-year senior D.J. Burns Jr., himself a transfer addition during the offseason. Burns (6-foot-9, 275 pounds), formerly of Winthrop, is averaging 7.4 points and 3.8 boards. Combined, NC State was getting a very healthy 19.1 points and 10.4 boards from the duo in the low post.
With Mahorcic out, NC State is likely to turn in the immediate future to more minutes for sophomore Ernest Ross (6-foot-9, 195 pounds) and perhaps junior Ebenezer Dowuona.
Ross has played in every game this season and is averaging 3.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks a contest. Dowuona was a regular last year, playing 31 games and making 27 starts. He finished with averages of 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds while rejecting 54 shots.
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However, Dowuona has been used far less frequently after the additions of Burns and Mahorcic. He has played in 7 of 10 games for a total of 18 minutes thus far this season.
Help is also arriving soon with the addition of 7-footer Isaiah Miranda. The Pawtucket, R.I., native announced Wednesday evening that he will be joining the NC State basketball program next week. Miranda is considered the No. 27 prospect nationally in the 2023 class according to the On3 Consensus, the only ratings that equally weight all four major recruiting services’ rankings.
He decided to move up his enrollment in an effort to potentially position himself for the 2023 NBA Draft.
Miranda’s timing is good considering the news of Dusan Mahorcic being out indefinitely.
The Wolfpack is 8-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. On Saturday, NC State is back into league action with a game at Miami. The contest will tip at 2 p.m. and can be seen on RSN affiliates. The Hurricanes are 9-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference.
