Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Posted: 2:42 p.m.
By Reuben FrankCSNPhilly.com
For Corey Stokes, day-to-day could lead to week-to-week.
Stokes, Villanovas second-leading scorer, hasnt played since Rutgers on Feb. 9 because of turf toe, and coach Jay Wright said after Villanovas win over Seton Hall Tuesday night in Newark that Stokes could miss as much as two more weeks of action.
Two weeks from Tuesday is March 1, and 'Novas first game after that is the March 5 regular-season season finale at No. 4 Pitt. If Stokes does miss two more weeks, he will have missed six games.
Wright said Stokes, the fifth-leading three-point shooter in school history at 38 percent, is definitely out for 'Novas game Saturday against DePaul in Chicago.
Next after that is No. 17 Syracuse in an ESPN game at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday night, and although Wright wouldnt rule Stokes out for the Orangemen, it doesnt sound promising.
Syracuse might be the earliest possible possible, Wright said.
Officially, 'Nova lists Stokes as day-to-day.
Stokes has been hobbled since suffering the injury during a game againt Georgetown on Jan. 29. He played through a couple games but hasnt been on the court since the midpoint of Villanovas loss to Rutgers in Piscataway last Wednesday.
Stokes scored 10 first-half points against Rutgers but was forced to sit and watch late in the game, when the Scarlet Knights overcame a 13-point deficit with 4:07 left to upset Nova.
Stokes was on the bench with a boot on his left foot for both the Pitt game on Saturday at the Pavilion and Seton Hall Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.
Wright said no matter whats at stake and how important the games are, hes not going to play Stokes until hes 100 percent or close to it.
Were committed to doing whatever it takes to get him right, Wright said. Its his senior year, and we dont want him playing the rest of his senior year hurt.
We know that within two weeks at the most it should be completely healed. Two weeks from now, that would be the longest, so were committed to that.
Stokes, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, is averaging 14.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and is third in NCAA Division 1 with 93.5 percent from the foul line. He was Novas leading scorer in seven of their first 16 games.
In his Villanova career, Stokes has scored 1,232 points and made 243 of 635 three-pointers. Since becoming a full-time starter as a sophomore, Stokes has made 203 of 495 threes, for 41 percent.
With Stokes out, Villanova has struggled on the offensive end both scoring and handling the ball.
The Wildcats beat Seton Hall Tuesday despite committing 22 turnovers and making only 20 baskets. Two of their three lowest-scoring games this year have been the two Stokes hasnt played at all.
We havent been pretty, as you can see, and were kind of transitioning into playing a bigger lineup, Wright said. Its not pretty at all, but defensively its good and rebounding its good. Weve just got to keep getting better.
Freshman James Taj Bell, who had scored just 31 career points, helped make up for Stokes absence Tuesday with 21 points in the 60-57 win over Seton Hall - more than twice his previous career high.
But 'Nova is still very short in the backcourt.
Weve been short-handed on guards all year, Wright said. We were going to use JayVaughn Pinkston as a guard, even Taylor King we used as a perimeter player, as a shooter.
Pinkston, a very highly regarded recruit out of Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn, was suspended by school officials for his involvement in an off-campus incident before the season began.
King, who began his college career, left Villanova and is now playing at tiny NAIA school Concordia College in Irvine, Calif.
Despite losing five of their last nine games, No. 15 Villanova is 20-6 and 8-5 in Big East play. Only Pitt (11-1), Notre Dame (10-3) and Georgetown (9-4) have more conference wins.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com