« Il est d’ores et déjà pris en charge par le staff médical », announced SIG Strasbourg as point guard Abdoulaye Ndoye suffered a serious ankle injury in training.
The 28-year-old playmaker sustained the injury during a practice session ahead of the club’s Betclic Elite match against Pau-Orthez, according to BeBasket. The team confirmed he will miss several weeks of action.
Ndoye’s absence deals a heavy blow to a squad already grappling with a lengthy injury list. The 1.98-meter guard has averaged 4.9 assists in domestic play and 6.0 in the Basketball Champions League this season.
Ndoye twisted his ankle during a routine practice session with the roster. The club’s medical staff immediately evaluated the backcourt leader following the incident.
Le club informe qu'Abdoulaye Ndoye a été victime d'une blessure à la cheville lors d'un entraînement. Il est d'ores et déjà pris en charge par le staff médical du club. L'ensemble du club apporte tout son soutien à Abdou et lui souhaite un très bon rétablissement. pic.twitter.com/CLeq0UpvfB
« L’ensemble du club apporte tout son soutien à Abdou et lui souhaite un très bon rétablissement », the club stated in a public release.
The timeline leaves the team without its most prolific passer for several autumn games. Ndoye transitioned into a primary ball-handling role this year, posting career-high assist numbers.
Ndoye joins a crowded Strasbourg infirmary that has tested the depth of the roster for months. Interior player William Pfister remains sidelined for several months with his own physical issues.
Backcourt rotation pieces Maxence Lemoine and Ben Gregg have also missed time recently. Meanwhile, center Jake Forrester has not been replaced on the roster since his departure at the end of September.
« Avec plusieurs joueurs amenés à évoluer à des postes et dans des rôles différents de ceux auxquels ils sont habitués, il faut nécessairement un temps d’adaptation », Ben Gregg told the club’s official website regarding the tactical shifts required by the absences.
Sporting director Nicola Alberani previously hesitated to sign a medical joker to replace Forrester. The new backcourt vacancy forces immediate changes to the rotation.
Jaylen Hands and Maxence Lemoine are expected to share playmaking duties at the Palais des Sports in Pau. Two young prospects from the Espoirs squad, Boubacar-Sidy Traoré and Miguel Nguidjol, joined the professional traveling group for the fixture.
The 10-man roster for the Pau-Orthez clash features Hands, Lemoine, Neftali Difuidi, Tymu Chenery, Justin McKoy, Traoré, Gregg, Sam Alajiki, Bruno Cingala-Mata, and Nguidjol.
Head coach Massimiliano Menetti and his staff must now manage a demanding stretch without their primary floor general. Strasbourg faces three road trips across eight days in Pau, against Cibona in Europe, and at Nanterre before the international break.
Strasbourg travels to face Cibona in the Basketball Champions League following the domestic league fixture. The grueling road stretch concludes against Nanterre before domestic play pauses for the international window.
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