Fischer takes 'stinger' to shoulder in practice; Seljaas bruised but working


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PROVO — BYU men's basketball returned to practice Tuesday after Saturday's stunning 77-72 home loss to Pacific, but got bad news in the first few minutes: guard Chase Fischer was taken off the court with a shoulder injury.

The extent of the injury is unknown, though head coach Dave Rose said the senior shooting guard would see a doctor for a diagnosis late Tuesday night.

"It's not the way you want to start practice," Rose admitted. "But we'll know more tonight and tomorrow, and see how he responds."

Fischer's role on the 2015-16 BYU squad has been obvious: he scores, and he scores a lot. The Wake Forest transfer from Ripley, West Virginia, averages a team-best 15.3 points per game, and he's scored 19 or more points 14 times this season.

His current run of 79 3-pointers in 2015-16 is the seventh-most in a season at BYU, and he was looking to join former BYU sharp shooters Jackson Emery and Jonathan Tavernari as the only Cougars to have two seasons with 80 or more 3-pointers following his 103-trey season a year ago.

BYU guard Zac Seljaas (2) and San Francisco forward Uche Ofoegbu (2) wrestle for the ball as BYU and San Francisco play at the Marriott Center in Provo, Jan. 9, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
BYU guard Zac Seljaas (2) and San Francisco forward Uche Ofoegbu (2) wrestle for the ball as BYU and San Francisco play at the Marriott Center in Provo, Jan. 9, 2016. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

SELJAAS BRUISED — Fischer's injury also comes as freshman shooter Zac Seljaas is struggling with a shoulder issue as well. The former Bountiful High standout practiced Monday and Tuesday, but Rose admitted Seljaas' injury — which he sustained a week ago on an awkward fall — has prevented him from being in top form. "He's back to practicing 100 percent of the time, but that's just because he's a really tough kid," Rose said of Seljaas. "He's fighting through it. But we'll see — it's getting better."

Seljaas had a bruise on his injured shoulder Tuesday, which Rose complimented as a good sign of the healing process. Still, the 6-foot-7, first-year wing was averaging 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for BYU, who face the surging San Francisco offense Thursday on the Hilltop.

"He's not 100 percent yet," Rose said of Seljaas. "We need him to be quickly."

THINNING GUARDS — The recent departures of former BYU guards Cory Calvert and Jake Toolson has been magnified with the recent injuries in Provo.

The mix of injuries and mid-season exits has put some guards in the position of playing extended minutes, like Nick Emery, who is averaging 14.6 points in 30.1 minutes per game less than one year after returning from a two-year mission for the LDS Church in Germany.

Emery admitted the increased work load has been exhaustive, but also commented on the conditioning of him and his teammates in the BYU back court.

"I think our conditioning level is really good, but we're playing a lot of minutes and it can be exhausting," Emery said. "I think we're in good enough shape, and we've got trainers and doctors to keep us in the right shape we need to be in for each game."

Listen to post-practice interviews with Rose, Emery and center Corbin Kaufusi in the "Cougar Cuts" section below.

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