Seton Hall freshman guard Isaiah Whitehead could miss up to four weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot, head coach Kevin Willard said Saturday in his radio interview with Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin.
That would put Whitehead, the Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year, back in late January.
Whitehead had an MRI on his right foot Wednesday, and the result of the test confirmed that he has a stress fracture of the second and third metatarsal bones. Doctors will evaluate Whitehead’s foot weekly.
“There’s not an easy replacement for a kid like Isaiah Whitehead,” Willard said Saturday. “You’re gonna have a drop-off.”
Whitehead will miss Wednesday’s Big East opener against St. John’s.
“They’re pretty much the complete opposite of us,” Willard said. “They’re older, they’re veterans.”
He added that he thought St. John’s senior D’Angelo Harrison was the “best player in the league,” and that junior big man Chris Obekpa is a “difference-maker.”
Whitehead has been an immediate impact player for the Pirates. The true freshman is second in scoring – trailing only preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention member Sterling Gibbs – with 11.9 points per game, tops in assists and steals at 3.4 and 1.3 per game respectively. He also accounts for 4.5 rebounds per game, third best behind Angel Delgado and Brandon Mobley.
Whitehead chose Seton Hall precisely because he wanted to stay home and help bring the program back to prominence. They haven’t made the Big Dance since 2006.
In a recent interview with SNY.tv, Whitehead expanded what would it mean to help lead Seton Hall back.
“Oh, it would mean everything to me, just coming here and bringing the program back with my team and just winning as much as possible,” he said.
