NC State basketball forward Ernest Ross out for the rest of season
NC State basketball freshman forward Ernest Ross will miss the remainder of the season after fracturing his ankle.
“I just feel awful for Ernest,” head coach Kevin Keatts said in a prepared statement. “When it first occurred, we were hopeful that it was just a sprain and that we could get him back in a couple of weeks, but unfortunately x-rays revealed a fracture.
“It’s a tough ending to his freshman season. Ernest has really locked in over the last month. We’ve been able to see in practices and in games that everything was slowing down for him, that he was gaining confidence in his understanding of what we do offensively and defensively. He’d earned his spot in the rotation and had played some big minutes for us in crunch time of both of our ACC wins. It’s a big loss for us and everybody will need to step up.
“I’m very excited for Ernest’s future. He’s going to be a great player for this program. We’ll get his ankle fixed, get him in the gym and weight room this summer and I think he’s primed for a great sophomore season.”
Ross had played in 14 games this season and was averaging 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, but his loss amplifies the issue of what was already a thin front court.
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Redshirt junior center Manny Bates (shoulder) was lost for the season after playing 57 seconds in the opener. Junior forward and Providence transfer Greg Gantt has not played this year while recovering from a sports hernia. Keatts has confirmed that redshirting is a viable option for Gantt.
The loss of Ross, Bates and Gantt means that the only two players taller than 6-foot-7 on NC State’s roster are sophomores Ebenezer Dowuona and Jaylon Gibson.
Ross had also been playing improved basketball. In his first 10 games, Ross scored a combined 10 points and 15 boards. In his last four before his injury, all against ACC teams, Ross had 13 points and eight rebounds.
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