UConn’s 83-41 rout of Wagner was overshadowed by an early injury to sophomore forward Nik Khamenia. After knocking down a quick 11 points against Wagner, the sophomore forward went down early and didn’t return to the game. Now, head coach Dan Hurley has provided an uncertain update on his status.
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“Nik’s such a gamer and a tough guy,” Hurley said after the game, with the moment being recorded and posted to X by beat reporter Nathan Canilao.
“I yelled over at him because he stayed down a little bit longer than he normally would. And I just yelled over to him, ‘Hey, Nick, are you good?’ Because I think we had Colben [Landrew] or somebody running over to get him at the scorer’s table. And credit to Nik. He then was guarding a guy running off a stagger screen into the corner. He sprinted over there with whatever he’s got going on. Obviously, we’ll get him tested tomorrow, MRI, X-ray, and just see what that looks like.”
The incident occurred with 10:04 left in the first half. Khamenia was left on the ground for an extended period of time following an injury, but proceeded to get back up and stayed in the game until the end of the possession. Afterwards, he was pulled from the game, and he went down the tunnel into the locker room.
The sophomore, who played his freshman season at Duke, has not suffered any major or long-term injuries during his high school or collegiate career.
Khamenia’s absence has removed someone who has been one of the most important players for a UConn squad looking to make it back to the national championship. He entered the Wagner game averaging 10.5 points and four rebounds over two games. He also made an immediate impact against Wagner, logging 11 points in just seven minutes, hitting all three of his three-point shots before his night was cut short.
Hurley did not want to dwell on what could happen if Khamenia is forced to miss an extended period of time, especially with Solo Ball also currently sidelined.
“For a guy like that, if he missed extended time — weeks, months, whatever it would be — devastation to the person,” Hurley said after the game.
“Soul ripped out. And not every athlete feels that way when they go down. Some of them, it bothers them a little bit. That guy, it would be devastating for him — and, obviously, it would hurt us… You hope it’s not too much time. You hope it’s a couple weeks or a week, or whatever. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for him.”
UConn’s Young Talent Faces Bigger Test as Khamenia’s Status Remains Unclear
Without Khamenia, the team will be forced to rely on younger options like freshman Colben Landrew or Russian recruit Egor Amosov. Landrew started the second half against Wagner instead of Khamenia, which shows that Hurley has some trust in him.
Landrew has already shown promise in his first few collegiate appearances. He scored 11 points during the season opener against Gardner-Webb, before following that up with 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists against Michigan. For his early play, he also earned Big East Freshman of the Week.
UConn has little time to dwell on the injury. The Huskies, who now sit at 3-0, held Wagner to just 41 points, but with Ohio State, Arizona, and Duke all scheduled for November, their schedule is about to get a lot tougher. However, senior Jayden Ross has expressed confidence in the players who can still contribute on the floor.
“I feel confident in the players we have,” he said.
“Obviously, nobody knows what’s going on with Nik. We know Nik’s going to do whatever he can to get back on the court because he loves basketball, and that’s just the type of person he is. But whatever the situation, we’re going to hold it down for him. Everybody got in the game today, and a lot of them played significant minutes, and we’re all super confident in the depth we have this year. I’m sure, whatever the situation is, we’ll be in a good spot.”
For now, the focus remains on Khamenia’s medical evaluation. Hurley’s praise for the sophomore’s toughness gives an encouraging glimpse, but the Huskies will need MRI and X-ray results before knowing what comes next for the forward.