For the second straight season, DaJuan Coleman's left knee has been an impediment to him staying on the court. This year, it's going to keep Coleman out for good.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim announced on Monday that the sophomore center will have surgery on his balky knee, forcing Coleman to miss the rest of the season.
"This is a tremendous disappointment, especially considering the amount of hard work DaJuan has been putting in with our basketball team," Boeheim said in a statement, according to ESPN. "We will certainly miss his contributions."
On Tuesday, Syracuse.com reported that the surgery will be performed next week by Dr. Bradley Raphael, the son of longtime Syracuse team physician Dr. Irving Raphael. The younger Raphael has been involved in treating Coleman.
Coleman's knee problems first emerged this season on Dec. 28, when he played just six minutes in a win over Villanova. Coleman then missed the Orange's next two games against Eastern Michigan and Miami before returning to play just three minutes against Virginia Tech on Jan. 7. He hasn't played in Syracuse's three games since.
Though he was averaging just 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-9, 280-pounder was the Orange's best offensive rebounder and a significant low-post presence. Coleman's absence will continue to put stress on Syracuse's frontcourt depth. The team still has solid options there, with former starting power forward Rakeem Christmas sliding over to center and senior Baye-Moussa Keita remaining a contributor, but foul trouble now threatens to swing a game against the Orange, and another injury to a post player would be that much more detrimental.
This is the same left knee that gave Coleman problems last year as a freshman. After averaging nearly 14 minutes per game over Syracuse's first 20 games of 2012-13, the big man had surgery to repair cartilage damage at right around the same time of year as he'll have this season's operation. Coleman was able to return to action after surgery last year, notching just 26 minutes in four games; there will be no such return this season.
The Orange have won their first 18 games of the season and are one of just three undefeated teams remaining in the country. Syracuse plays at Miami on Saturday.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.