Photo courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics
By Morey Hershgordon
Quinnipiac men’s basketball has suffered two significant losses just one week into the 2014-2015 season.
On Friday, Quinnipiac Athletics announced freshman forward Samuel Dingba and sophomore forward A.J. Sumbry will undergo surgeries. Details of the injuries were not disclosed. Dingba is expected to miss 3-6 weeks while Sumbry will miss the remainder of the season.
Dingba, a native of Cameroon and graduate of the Salisbury School (C.T.), was highly-touted coming into Hamden. He was expected to make meaningful contributions for Tom Moore’s squad. Dingba started at the power forward position in the teams season opener against Yale on Nov. 14. He logged just nine minutes in that game due to foul trouble recording two points, one rebound and one assist. According to a press release, it was in this game that Dingba sustained the injury. He did not dress for Tuesday night’s matchup with LaSalle.
As for Sumbry, the loss of a member of an experienced frontcourt will hurt the Bobcats. As a freshman last year, Sumbry appeared in 29 games averaging 9.1 minutes per game. His breakout game was in his college debut on Nov. 9, 2013 against Hartford when he posted 10 points, his only double-digit scoring performance of the season.
Head coach Tom Moore said in a statement, “It’s unfortunate to be without two projected starters and a key frontcourt reserve this early in the season, but I have great belief in our depth. Sam had a great fall and was improving every day. I have been thrilled with the play of Justin Harris, Alain Chigha, and James Ford and I’m excited about their continued contributions.”
Let’s not overlook the potential impact of these players. The losses will greatly impact this team for two simple reasons.
The first is the gap of the on-court contributions. Dingba had started one game and was expected to continue to start at the power forward position. Yes, he is still young. Yes, he will get into foul trouble. Yes, there will be growing pains. But, Dingba is the player that Moore and the coaching staff are looking to build around for the future. This injury will set him back a little because he will miss out on the valuable experience he would gain playing alongside seniors Ousmane Drame and Zaid Hearst. Dingba is scheduled to return following the first few conference games as long as his recovery goes as planned.
Sumbry, one of five members of the Bobcats frontcourt, was expected to compete for minutes off the bench. His experience gained throughout his freshman year was going to be relied upon heavily to help the younger players like Dingba and Chaise Daniels learn the college game.
The second reason, and most important, far exceeding both players’ contributions on the court, is the fact Quinnipiac loses two big bodies. This will hurt their bench depth in practice and in games.
Following an 87-68 loss in the MAAC semifinals last season, Moore cited a lack of players in practice during the final three weeks of the season as a major reason for his team falling two wins short of their first NCAA Tournament berth.
“As we practice with six, seven, or eight guys, we haven’t gotten as better on a daily basis as we were through December, January, and the early part of February. We haven’t improved at the rate in practice that we needed to, to be firing on all cylinders,” Moore noted.
So now, without Dingba or Sumbry, the once five-man “loaded” frontcourt is now trimmed to a mere three (with two starting on a consistent basis). One of those three forwards, senior Ousmane Drame, is still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee that left him sidelined for five months.
That leaves just two players in Justin Harris, a senior who has been a pleasant surprise for Moore and Co. off the bench, and freshman Chaise Daniels who has been very good at times, but has been far consistent.
Who are they going to get reps against in practice? Where are they going to gain that chemistry that is vital to the team’s success during conference play?
Side notes:
– A guard dominated conference, the MAAC also has it’s share of talented big men. For one, Iona, the preseason favorite, owns David Laury, a 6-foot-9, 245-lb senior and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Next is Manhattan, a team known for its athleticism. Steve Masiello has his fair share of talent down on the blocks. Ashton Pankey, a 6-foot-10, 225-lb junior, who transferred to Manhattan from Maryland two years ago and Jermaine Lawrence a 6-foot-10, 210-lb sophomore, who transferred to the Bronx after one season at Cincinnati, stock the paint for the defending MAAC champions. Throw in Phil Valenti, Josiah Heath and Kevin Bleeker who respectively stand at 6-foot-7, 6-foot-9, and 6-foot-10 for Canisius and the conference has a bunch of solid big men.
-As the days pass by it looks as if Giovanni McLean, a junior college transfer, could be reinstated and allowed to play for Quinnipiac at around the time Dingba is expected to return. However, nothing has been confirmed about McLean’s eligibility.
-At this point, you have to wonder if Moore would ever consider playing four guards with one big man at different points in a game. This would keep Drame, Daniels, and Harris away from foul trouble and conserve their energy. This is highly unlikely, as Quinnipiac dominates almost every rebounding category nationally.
