Just before the Villanova Wildcats-Xavier Musketeers game tips off, the team shared a tidbit of news.
A press release from the Athletics Department shared that freshman Cole Swider will be out for an undetermined amount of time due to a fractured hand.
The 6-foot-9 forward injured his shooting hand in practice on Thursday. So far this season, he has appeared in 16 of the Wildcats’ 17 games, averaging 3.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. His best showing came against the Providence Friars, when he scored 10 points in his first game back in his native state.
“I really feel badly for Cole,” said Villanova head coach Jay Wright in a Friday press release. “He’s one of the hardest workers on our team. Cole’s got an outstanding attitude and I know he’ll come back as quickly as possible from this injury.”
The Wildcats are very familiar with this type of injury, as Phil Booth, Collin Gillespie, and Jermaine Samuels dealt with it last season.