Aztecs open at Arizona without Davis and Skoric, and Dutcher is fine with the caution
Guard Latrell Davis (shoulder) and forward Luka Skoric (groin) will sit out Friday's exhibition opener in Tucson, Brian Dutcher said Tuesday. The rebuilt Aztecs have three exhibitions to get whole before the Nov. 3 opener.
SAN DIEGO: San Diego State will play its first exhibition of the season at Arizona on Friday night without two players Brian Dutcher is counting on this winter: guard Latrell Davis and forward Luka Skoric. Dutcher confirmed both absences at a Tuesday news conference previewing his rebuilt roster and the program's first season in the reborn Pac-12.
"Where has all the time gone? Friday already," Dutcher said. The Arizona game is the first of three exhibitions for the Aztecs, who host USC on Oct. 23 and Long Beach State on Oct. 28 before opening the regular season on Nov. 3.
Davis separated a shoulder about a month ago, missed three weeks, returned and tweaked it, and missed another week, Dutcher said. Davis redshirted last season, and Dutcher said that had he been active he would have been an everyday player. The coach said he is erring on the side of caution, while noting that a shoulder like Davis's could be an issue the team manages all year.
Skoric's long wait ends on the bench, for now
Skoric, a 6-foot-9 forward from Zagreb, Croatia, has been sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury. His absence Friday closes a long eligibility wait: he was the last of the Aztecs' three European professional signees to be certified by the NCAA, which took a closer look at whether the players' pay abroad exceeded actual and necessary expenses. Guard David Torresani and forward Luca Vincini, both from Italy, were certified before him.
The three Europeans could not practice during the summer but have been practicing this fall, and Dutcher said he is seeing real progress from Vincini and Torresani while acknowledging a learning curve for players new to the system and to each other.
The opponent adds to the degree of difficulty. Arizona reached the Final Four last season, and Dutcher noted the Wildcats arrive with games already under their belt from a European trip, their Red-Blue scrimmage and a game this week, while his team is still trying to get five healthy players on the floor together. Dutcher said the injured players would likely play if Friday were a regular season game, and that he does not want to be tempted into bringing anyone back too soon with the Nov. 3 opener at home against Fullerton State as the date that matters.
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