Amida Brimah out 6-8 weeks with broken finger

UConn has suffered a big blow, as 7-foot junior center Amida Bromah broke the third finger on his right hand during practice and will undergo surgery to repairt it. he is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks.

Here is the release from UConn:

UConn junior center Amida Brimah suffered a broken third finger on his right hand during practice on Monday and will have to undergo surgery to repair the fracture.

Brimah and the team learned the complete diagnosis and the best course of treatment from doctors following an examination on Tuesdaymorning. The 7-foot center from Accra, Ghana, is scheduled to have the surgery on Wednesday afternoon at UConn Health in Farmington. He is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks of the basketball season while recovering.
Brimah missed a game for the first time in his career Sunday with a groin injury as the 7-3 Huskies defeated UMass Lowell, 88-79. It broke a streak of 84 consecutive games played by the Huskies' junior co-captain.

"As I said after the game on Sunday, Amida is one of the best defensive players in the country, so obviously not having him has a big impact on us," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "But you never know when somebody can get hurt, which is why everybody always has to be ready to play.

"Everyone will have to lift their level of play --- the big men, of course, but our guards, as well will have to play better defense on the perimeter without Amida in there. We look at it as an opportunity for somebody to step up and have an impact on the game and the program. And I believe every player on this team has the capability to do that."

Brimah, who had started 44 straight games before Sunday, is averaging 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and has the top field goal percentage on the team at 72.5 percent, which would break his own single-season school record if it extended throughout the year. His 3.0 blocked shots per game currently ranks ninth in the country.

Last season, Brimah was voted the Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference and was an honorable mention all-conference pick after leading the country in total blocked shots (121) and finishing second in the country in blocked shots per game (3.46). This season, he was a preseason all-conference second team pick.

UConn's season continues Wednesday with an afternoon (12:30 p.m.) game against Central Connecticut State University at the XL Center.