January 10, 2002
Texas A&M center Andy Slocum suffered a broken bone in his left hand against Texas Tech on Wednesday and will be out of action for 4-6 weeks, head coach Melvin Watkins said Thursday.
A&M's top rebounder, the 7-foot, 280-pound Slocum injured the hand early in the first half against the Red Raiders. Slocum had scored four points with a pair of rebounds in just seven minutes.
"This is a disappointing blow for Andy and for our team, especially since he was really coming into his own and playing some of his best basketball since he's been here," Watkins said. "But we don't think it is a season-ending injury and we hope to have him back in a few weeks."
The sophomore center came into the game averaging 7.3 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds while starting in the last 10 games. In his previous five games, Slocum averaged 10.2 points and 10.6 rebounds, including a 22-point, 14-rebound effort against No. 10-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday.
Slocum missed all of last season with a shoulder injury.