Monday, January 28, 2008

Bye-bye, Boubacar (At least for now)

Auburn fans will have to wait until next November to get their next glimpse of 7-foot-1 freshman Boubacar Sylla.

The big guy suffered a stress reaction in his ankle in the second game of the season, a win against Kennesaw State. He played slightly less than one minute a few days later at Alabama State, looked very uncomfortable and hasn’t played since.

The Paris, France (not Texas) native will receive a medical hardship redshirt, Jeff Lebo said Monday.

It’s a bit of a surprise, since Sylla has been dressing out for games since the start of the SEC season and Lebo has seemed to indicate he was close to a return. But apparently coach and player agreed that it’s best to start over next season.

Sylla, the tallest player in Auburn history, looked good the few times he did make it onto the floor. He was especially impressive in AU’s exhibition game against Bluefield College—admittedly not the best competition, but hey, it was a start.

And though he’s a freshman, he’s no spring chicken, either: He spent a year at prep school after graduating from high school, and will turn 22 this July.

Assuming Auburn’s application is approved—and I expect it to be—he’ll have four full years of eligibility starting with the 2008-09 season.