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Utah State Basketball: Starting center Norbert Janicek out for season

By Taylor Sturm

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Tim Duryea of the Utah State Aggies directs his team during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 85-52. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Tim Duryea of the Utah State Aggies directs his team during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 85-52. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Utah State Aggies received bad news, as expected starting center Norbert Janicek will miss the entire 2017-18 season.

The Utah State Aggies will be without a key player in 2017-18, as it was announced that Norbert Janicek would miss the entire season after undergoing foot surgery.

Last season, Janicek averaged 6.7 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game over 20.5 minutes per game. He was expected to take a starting role this season and contribute significantly more minutes but will have to, unfortunately, put that to the wayside as he recovers.

The Mountain West Conference is going to be extremely competitive during the 2017-18 college basketball campaign, and, even with Janicek, it was unlikely that Utah State would be able to compete with the top teams in the conference. This team is getting better, but the top of the MWC is far too strong, especially this season.

Utah State will be disappointed to lose such a key player for the entirety of the season, but it will allow a younger player to potentially set up. After all, a few minutes here and there early on in a college basketball career can make all the difference and, hopefully, help this team to compete in the MWC down the road.

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Remember, Janicek has a few years of eligibility left, so this is good for his future as well as the future of the Aggies – even if it hinders efforts in 2017-18. 2017-18 would likely not have been a good season for Utah State anyway, so it’s all about player health and development.