Jerami Grant did not dress for No. 7 Syracuse’s 67-62 loss to Georgia Tech on Tuesday as his sore back continues to limit his movement.

Grant is expected to return to practice soon, SU head coach Jim Boeheim said, but there was little update as to the injury itself.

“We have no idea,” Boeheim said. “There’s nothing wrong. He’s got some soreness and we think that he could be ready to play in a few days.

“He did practice last week and he was all right one day, sore the next. Everybody feels that he’ll be all right.”

Grant sat on the sidelines in a stylish dark blue button-down shirt with tan pants and suspenders. In his place on the court, freshman Tyler Roberson scored just two points in 23 minutes while Michael Gbinije shot 1-of-4 in limited minutes on the wing.

“Obviously injuries are a part of basketball,” Boeheim said, “but we’re a team that needs all of our parts. If we have all of our parts, I think we’re a very good basketball team. If we don’t have all of our parts, I don’t think we are.”

Teammates agreed that Grant’s absence has hurt the team’s performance at both ends of the court. Point guard Tyler Ennis referenced his role as a secondary scoring option — something the Orange has lacked during its 1-4 skid — and his defensive rebounding.

“You’re obviously going to miss him, but I think we have the pieces and the people who can step up and fill his void until he comes back,” Ennis said. “It’s always going to hurt losing a guy like that.”

Heading into the team’s regular-season finale against Florida State on Sunday, it’s possible Grant returns. The five-day break can only help his back’s recovery.

But it’s clear whenever Grant does return, he’ll bring a skillset that can help determine the outcome of games.

Said Fair: “He’s a big part of our team. It could have been a different game if he was there. You never know. When he starts, he’s definitely a big boost to the team.”

Published on March 5, 2014 at 2:17 am

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