Starting Florida forward Erik Murphy has a fractured rib,
according to Gatorzone.com, and is doubtful for Wednesday night's SEC
opener against Georgia.
Murphy could be out for
several weeks. How soon he returns will depend on how he tolerates the
pain, UF coach Billy Donovan said Monday.
Murphy,
a senior and the team's second-leading scorer (12.1 points a game),
underwent x-rays Monday after sitting out Sunday's victory at Yale.
Donovan said it could be four to six weeks before Murphy completely
heals.
“(When he returns)
is up to him and how he feels,” Donovan said. “Erik's a tough kid. I
had two broken ribs in college and it was probably a good four to six
weeks before I was actually pain free.”
Donovan
said Murphy injured his ribs in the Air Force game on Dec. 29, but was
fine in practice last week until he took another shot on the ribs in
Wednesday's workout. He did not play in Sunday's 79-58 victory at Yale
“He
came back on Friday and tried to practice and couldn't go,” Donovan
said. “We tried to put him in shoot-around (before Sunday's game) and he
did a little bit, but he was still challenged physically.
