FSU forward Phil Cofer out for rest of season with ankle injury

After news broke last Saturday that Florida State forward Phil Cofer was undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle, Leonard Hamilton confirmed today that the surgery, which occurred Monday, would cause Cofer to miss the rest of the season.

Cofer seemed poised to play a big role on this year's team, playing 25 minutes in FSU's season opener against Nicholls State as a starter in Montay Brandon's absence. However, he never had more than 15 minutes in any of the next 10 games while dealing with the ankle injury which led to his season-ending surgery. As a result of his decreased playing time, Cofer saw a decline in his numbers from last season, averaging 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game this season after putting up averages of 6.9 points and 4.5 boards last season.

With Cofer out for the season and Michael Ojo still recovering from a torn meniscus suffered in preseason camp, there are only three players on Florida State's roster who could suitably play the center role: Boris Bojanovsky, Jarquez Smith, and Chris Koumadje. Bojanovsky has shown flashes but lacks the consistency to hold down the position for a large portion of games, Smith has not been able to consistently stay out of foul trouble, and Koumadje, though full of potential, is raw and still learning the scheme, partially due to an injury that caused him to miss all of the team's preseason practices.

Going forward, Cofer's absence will necessitate a larger role from Florida State's three healthy big men, who have combined to average 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds through 14 games this season, or more four/five-guard sets like we saw for an extended time at the end of the UNC game.