This was supposed to be a huge year for Bill Grier and the San Diego Toreros.
We all know what his team did last season, marching into Rupp Arena and knocking off Kentucky as a prelude to their stunning upset of Connecticut in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. With all five starters returning, most believed San Diego could contend with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s for the WCC title.
Grier received news today that his leading scorer and four year starter, guard Brandon Johnson, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Couple that with a disappointing beginning to the season and various other team injuries and suspensions, and you have a San Diego squad that went from contender to middle-of-the-pack WCC team in a matter of weeks. Johnson was averaging 13.5 PPG and 3.9 APG for San Diego, including 19 vs. Wisconsin in the Virgin Islands. He averaged 16.9 PPG a season ago.
Already Grier has dealt with distractions in the early going. He suspended three players for their opening loss at UNLV, Clinton Houston missed six games, Gyno Pomare missed one and emerging sophomore guard Trumaine Johnson remains suspended, although he could return for San Diego’s next game. De’Jon Jackson, a solid contributor and top defender, also has a knee injury and has been out as of late.
San Diego is off to a disappointing 4-4 start with wins over Nevada and Valparaiso but losses to Miami, Wisconsin, UNLV and San Diego State. Their primary chances for impressive resume-building wins are gone, although they do play Mississippi State, Oregon and New Mexico in December. Those teams will likely not be NCAA Tournament bound, meaning the Toreros will have to win the WCC regular season or tournament, quite a daunting task without Brandon Johnson.
A promising year for San Diego is looking like a real struggle.
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