Abbott To Miss Start Of Season

With men’s basketball season lurking around the corner, this isn’t quite the most welcome “how do you do” as we begin to gear up to the start of 2009-10.

Ty Abbott, whose streaky shooting caused fits while his improved defense opened eyes as the Devils ran to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, will be laid up for at least a month after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The report first appeared in Doug Haller’s blog on AZCentral.com.

The surgery and rehab will most likely rule him out for at least the first two games of the Sun Devils’ appearance in the Preseason NIT, which starts against Texas State at Wells Fargo Arena on November 16.

Abbott has been lauded and, in no better terms, yelled at throughout his career for his inconsistency from outside the arc. He has become know over the last few years, though, for turning it on when need be: his hot shooting down the stretch during the Pac-10 season and into the conference and national tournaments kept ASU afloat on many occasions.

More recently, Abbott seemed to have found his groove on the defensive end, being Herb Sendek’s best option, alongside Rihards Kuksiks, for defending the perimeter in the Devils’ match-up zone scheme.

The already thin Arizona State backcourt, as Seth Davis called it on his Twitter page last night, will have to pick up the slack over the next few weeks. Returning veterans like Jerren Shipp and Jamelle McMillan, along with newcomers Demetrius Walker and Trent Lockett, will be most likely pressed into early, significant action.

The 2009-10 season tips off on November 13 at WFA as the Western Illinois Leathernecks (GREAT NAME) of the Summit League (nee Badlands Conference, via Kyle Whelliston of The Mid-Majority) visit Tempe.

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