Puff Johnson, a senior in his fifth year, will miss his tenth consecutive game due to a right-hand injury.
Johnson was hurt on January 15 while playing Michigan State, who was ranked No. 12 at the time. Averaging a career-high 10.2, 4.4 rebounds, and 54.3% field-goal percentage, the former North Carolina Tarheel was having a breakout season.
Mike Rhoades was asked if it would be reasonable to presume that Johnson will not play in the future at Monday’s media availability.
Indeed. Yes, you’re right about that,” Rhoades said. “The number one thing I said in the summer was we got to stay healthy. Losing him hurts a lot, and we all understood it.
However, other teams also lose players. I’m not trying to justify it, but we truly do miss him.
With his positional size and 3-point shooting ability, Johnson has established himself as a vital two-way player for the Nittany Lions.
Rhoades declared on Monday that “he is the guy that is sound (in his) approach.” He’s large, strong, and capable of making open threes. You must therefore play him. You must protect him. When he’s out there at the four, you can’t be gimmicky with your defense.
And he performed a fantastic job when he played the five since he is large, strong, and mature. And that provided us an additional advantage with him. It was undoubtedly a huge loss, and I believe you are currently experiencing it.
With a 1-7 record during Johnson’s absence, Penn State has fallen to the basement of the Big Ten rankings. The Nittany Lions will play Nebraska on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. EST, BTN, in an attempt to snap their seven-game losing run.
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