Oct. 28, 2002

VILLANOVA, Pa. - For the second time in two weeks, Villanova senior guard Gary Buchanan has been sidelined by an injury. Buchanan suffered a sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee in practice on Oct. 25 and will be sidelined for a minimum of one week. At that point his status will be re-evaluated.

Less than two weeks ago, on Oct. 14, Buchanan suffered a slight fracture of his left (non-shooting) thumb in practice. That injury limited him to non-contact work until late last week. Then, in a regular practice session last Friday evening, he struggled to stand up after falling on his own in a defensive drill. A preliminary diagnosis of a sprained MCL was confirmed today in an examination by team orthopedist Dr. Rob Good.

Buchanan will be fitted for a brace when he returns to the court.

"It's been a tough preseason for Gary to this point," said head coach Jay Wright. "But he is a senior and a very mature young man. I'm sure he will learn from this experience and work extremely hard to get back on the floor with his teammates."