In the latest case of injury woes for the Stanford men’s basketball team, sophomore point guard Robert Cartwright has been sidelined for the entire upcoming season due to a compound fracture in his right arm.

Head coach Johnny Dawkins, who called the injury “devastating,” told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Tom Fitzgerald that Cartwright was making a routine drive to the basket when he lost his balance and landed awkwardly.

“Robert is an absolutely tremendous person and our thoughts are with him right now,” Dawkins said. “Unfortunately, this is an example of how fragile our sport can be. His exceptional leadership as our point guard on the court will be sorely missed. Our entire program will certainly be alongside Robert every step of the way during his recovery period. We will rally around Robert this season.”

Given the recent string of injuries to projected starters, devastating might be an understatement. Cartwright joins guards Marcus and Malcolm Allen and center Grant Verhoeven as players now injured for Stanford. However, Cartwright is the only player of those four who is expected to miss the entire season.

Following the departure of Stanford’s all-time leading scorer, point guard Chasson Randle, Cartwright was expected to start for the Cardinal. He played in 36 games for Stanford last season, averaging 11.1 minutes per game and 1.9 points per game.

“It’s an unbelievably crushing feeling knowing my season is over, however, I truly believe something good will come of this,” Cartwright said. “I can’t even begin to describe how grateful I am with all the love and support everyone has given me over these last couple of days. I can’t wait to get back on the court and play with my family again.”

Stanford opens its season on Nov. 13 at home against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

This post was updated following the announcement of Cartwright’s season-ending status.

 

Contact Sandip Srinivas at sandips ‘at’ stanford.edu.