The hits keep coming for N.C. State basketball. If they were a musical act, that would be a good development, but in sports it’s usually a negative trend. Such is the case for the Pack, who announced Thursday afternoon that junior post player Lennard Freeman will be limited for the remainder of the season with a reoccurring stress reaction in his lower right leg.
Freeman had a titanium fixation rod inserted in that same location on June 3 to provide stabilization after he played the end of the last season with a stress reaction.
The recent news means that Freeman will be “very limited,” head coach Mark Gottfried said in a prepared statement, the rest of the season. He is averaging 3.6 points and 5.6 rebounds a game.
Freeman’s injury leaves a short bench even thinner. The offseason transfer of Kyle Washington to Cincinnati left the Pack with just three post players, including coordinating-challenged junior center BeeJay Anya.
In light of Freeman’s injury, N.C. State may play the rest of the season with a longer stretches of a short lineup; putting versatile sophomore forward Cody Martin at power forward, or perhaps giving athletic freshman forward Shaun Kirk more time.
The N.C. State release also stated that Freeman would be further evaluated after the season.