News - Local/State

Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

Winthrop's Buechert out for season with ACL tear

Andy Buechert, a 6-9 senior from Trier, Germany whose performance improved so much last year he was expected to start at center this year for Winthrop University’s basketball team, is out for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, coach Randy Peele said today.

It’s a blow to a team that was going to be short on experience and a blow to a player who had been working very hard in the off season to get himself and his game in shape.

“It’s terrible,” Peele said. “He had a great summer physically. He’s in the best shape of his life. He’s up to 235 pounds, his body was cut. He’s strong. “He’s been in a routine, working out every morning at 7 a.m. He’d put in a lot of work, and the light switched had finally flipped. He understood how hard he was going to have to work.”

Buechert injured the knee in a workout Aug. 19, and Jeff Lahr, Winthrop’s assistant athletic director for athletic training, had hoped it was just a sprain. But an MRI revealed the tear. Buechert is expected to have surgery next Friday.

“He could start jogging in three months and get a full release in six months,” Lahr said, “if things go as planned.”

In Lahr’s 12 years with the program, Buechert is the first men’s basketball player to suffer a torn ACL.

Buechert was back in the weight room on Friday trying to take things in stride, but was, as expected, a little down.

“I’m trying not to think of the negatives and look at the positives,” he said. “I’ve got to come back and work even harder. I’ve got something to prove when I come back.”

And he said he’s “100 percent committed” to returning next year. The school will apply for and should get a medical redshirt season for Buechert, who transferred from Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College prior to last season.

And Peele told Buechert he was “100 percent committed” to having him return, but told him he had to turn the year off into a positive by staying in the weight room, maintaining academic progress and staying as involved with the team as possible.

In the meantime, Peele has to figure out what to do this season, after losing a player who was expected to start at center after coming on strong at the end of last season. Buechert played 33 of 34 games with two starts last season.

He became a force in the middle during the Big South Tournament and Winthrop’s run to a fourth straight NCAA Tournament and eighth in 10 years. He was selected to the all-Big South tourney team after an up-and-down regular season where he averaged three points and 3.5 rebounds.

He had 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in the final two tournament games, and was a defensive force against UNC Asheville’s 7-7 Kenny George in the finals.

“When we recruited him,” Peele said, “we thought he would give us the kind of big body in the post we needed on defense.

“We’ll have to take a look at how we play and maybe tweak some things. Right now, I don’t know.”

But the Eagles do have some bodies in the middle, with the returning of 6-8 sophomore Charles Corbin, 6-8 sophomore George Valentine and the addition of 6-9 redshirt freshman Chris Malcolm, who sat out last year, and 6-8 freshman walk-on Case Stiglbauer.

Corbin started 29 games last year and made the Big South’s all-freshman team, and Valentine, who is up to 240 pounds, had his moments, particularly on defense. Both have improved offensively since last season.

Malcolm, up to 210 pounds, has long arms and could be a shot blocker.

Mantoris Robinson and Corbin are the only returning starters. Valentine joins Justin Burton and Byron Faison as players who saw action in at least 33 games.

“Andy was our one guy who could score with his back to the basket,” Peele said. “And we were looking at going big (in the front court).

“Now, it’s necessary that Valentine and Malcolm have a greater impact. How will affect our play? I’m not sure how to answer that right now.”

The 2009-10 front court will have some size, with Buechert returning to join 6-9 Matt Morgan, who is sitting out this year after transferring from St. Bonaventure, Corbin, Valentine, Malcolm and Stiglbauer.