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Clemson freshman guard Patrick Rooks to miss season with a hip injury

Brad Brownell

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell directs his team against Florida State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Thursday, March 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

AP

Clemson will have an uphill battle this season in the ACC with no seniors and a very young team and the Tigers were dealt a blow over the weekend as the team announced that freshman guard Patrick Rooks would miss the entire 2013-14 season with a hip injury.

According to a release from the team, the 6'2", 185-pound Rooks injured the hip in preseason and will undergo season-ending surgery.

“This is an unfortunate situation for Patrick,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said in the release. “He is a three-point specialist who shot the ball very well in Italy. Fortunately for us, we do have great depth in the backcourt. It’s a unique injury, something I haven’t seen in 20 years of coaching. I know our doctors and athletic trainer will do everything in their power to get him healthy. We look forward to having Patrick ready to go next season.”

A lefty shooter, Rooks averaged 17 points per game in his senior season at Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina and was regarded as a three-star prospect according to Rivals.

As Brownell pointed out, Clemson does have some depth returning in the backcourt with junior starting point guard Rod Hall and sophomore Jordan Roper returning. Junior Demarcus Harrison also started last season and will be one of the team’s better perimeter defenders and sophomore Adonis Filer can play a bit of both guard spots off the bench.

This is Clemson’s first season without a senior on the roster since 1995-96 and with the ACC as loaded as ever, they will need a lot of contributions from young and inexperienced players to compete in the conference.

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