Junior point guard Jackson Shelstad broke his hand in practice earlier this week and will be out four to six weeks, according to reports from KEZI and the Oregon basketball program.
The 6-1 sharpshooter from West Linn, Oregon scored 13.7 points a game last season with 2.9 rebounds and 2,7 assists per contest, playing some of his best basketball at the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. He hit for 20 points or more six different times last season.
The Ducks got some huge news this spring when Nate Bittle, Shelstad and forward Kwame Evans all decided to return for one more year of college basketball, giving the team a big three to rival the top teams in the conference.
A mid-November return puts the former West Linn Lion back into the lineup for perhaps the Oregon State game on November 17 at Matthew Knight Arena. Big Ten play begins Tuesday December 2 with a home tilt against USC.
While it's unfortunate to lose a great player for several weeks, Dana Altman will use the opportunity to develop other players on the roster, including new guard Wei Lin from China and 6-4 Takai Simpkins, who scored 16.4 points a game for Elon last year, shooting 37 percent from three.