BROOKINGS With just two games to go in the regular season, the South Dakota State men received some tough news on Tuesday as freshman point guard Owen Larson announced that he has a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus.
Larson posted the news about the injury on X on Tuesday night. With that, Larson will be out for the rest of this season and possibly half of next season.
The injury occurred during Sundays 70-65 win over Kansas City. Larson was running back to defend a Kansas City fastbreak on the final possession of the first half when he cut and immediately grabbed his knee and went to the floor.
Larson was averaging 9.2 points per game, which was fourth on the team, and was third on the team in assists per game at 2.5. He was first on the team in 3-point percentage among players that have shot over 100 threes this season, shooting 39%.
SDSU head coach Eric Henderson met with the media on Tuesday morning and at that point did not have the full information on Larsons injury. He did say that the SDSU coaching staff was trying to come up with a plan to replace his minutes if it were to come to that.
Its all on the table. Were still continuing to talk about [the plan] as a staff and continuing to put our best foot forward with whats that going to look like. I dont want to change who we are or change our identity, Hendeerson said.
Fellow freshman guard Jaden Jackson replaced Larsons minutes in the second half on Sunday. Jackson hit two 3-pointers in the final five minutes and finished with 11 points. It was the third-straight game that Jackson scored in double figures.
Other players that will likely have to step up in Larsons absence are sophomore Kalen Garry and Joe Sayler. Sayler and Garry are second and third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 and 11.6 points per game, respectively.
Henderson said he doesnt think his team needs to change its game plan a whole lot without Larson.
We dont have to be something we are not, and as a player, just be who you are. Dont feel like you have to come in and do something special, because who you are is good enough. I think thats what the message is more about more than anything else, Henderson said.
One of Hendersons most used words over his six-year tenure at SDSU has been connectivity. He always wants his team to be connected come March. The calendar turns to March this weekend and Henderson said he thinks this is one of the most connected teams hes had since he arrived in Brookings.
Ive said this from the very start, Ive enjoyed this team so much, and a lot of that has to do with the connectivity of our group, Henderson said. How we celebrate each other, how we compliment each other on the floor and how the pieces fit together. We have a few older guys with [Oscar Cluff] and [Isaac Lindsey] being transfers, but theyre old transfers. Then you have [Matthew Mors] and [Gary], who are really our only two returning guys that had minutes that are having a big impact.
… Then you combine them with all of these young guys. How theyve meshed and how theyve come together and how connected they are, thats one of my favorite things Ive done as a coach. To help be a part of that is pretty special.
The Jacks will close the regular season with two road games. Theyll play at Oral Roberts on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Denver to take on the Pioneers on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central time.
ORU and Denver are two of the bottom three teams in the Summit League. However, Oral Roberts, who is in last place, just beat second-place St. Thomas this past weekend after falling to Denver last week. The Jacks will come into the final two games in third place in the conference and can clinch the third-seed in the Summit League Tournament with a win in one of their final two games.
SDSU could move up to the two-seed by sweeping its final two games and St. Thomas losing one of its final two. Theres an outside shot for the Jacks to get to the one-seed, but they would need a lot of help with Omaha and North Dakota State losing.
Henderson has said all conference season that his team hasnt been focused on the standings and instead on themselves. He said on Tuesday that his team wants to have one thing as they head into the conference tournament next week.
We want to have momentum. We want to have our team feeling good about themselves and making sure we understand what our DNA is and understand who we are and being more connected. We want to win every game we play, but in that sense, we want to make sure that we play the right way and control the things that we can control. I love where were at. It will be good to have this week to see where were at and get as healthy as we can and get ready for Sioux Falls, Henderson said.
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