Rhode Island Basketball: Impact of losing Makhi Mitchell for the season

Rhode Island Basketball big man Makhi Mitchell left Sunday’s game with an injury. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season, per his mother on Twitter.

Makhi Mitchell, transfer from Maryland, and his brother Makhel have contributed to the Rams’ frontcourt through seven games this season. The Mitchell Twins have added great depth to Coach David Cox’s squad.

Makhi is averaging 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and is shooting 46.2 percent from the field this season. The 6-foot-9 forward recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall.

The Rams’ big man went down on a non-contact play and appeared to injury his left knee in Sunday’s game against Western Kentucky. Mitchell was helped off the court by his teammates and would not return for the rest of the game.

Makhi’s mother broke the news to Rhody fans on his status on Monday night. The tweet states that Makhi is out for the season and will have to have surgery on his knee. She also states that rehabilitation will take anywhere from four to six months.

This is a big blow for the Rhode Island Rams this early into the season and right before conference play. We can expect more minutes to come for Jermaine Harris and D.J. Johnson. We can also expect to see a lot bigger roles from Makhel Mitchell and Antwan Walker.

The Rams will have to prepare both offensively and defensively for their upcoming schedule. Unfortunately, they will be without Makhi Mitchell for the rest of this season. However, the sophomore will have two more seasons at Rhody.

The Rams will open up Atlantic 10 Conference play on Friday when the Davidson Wildcats travel up to Rhode Island. The game will start at 7 PM ET and can be found on ESPNU.