Gophers sophomore guard Amir Coffey wanted to be out there with his team Tuesday night vs. Nebraska, but he missed his third consecutive game because of a shoulder injury.
Coffey, the Gophers' third leading scorer at 14 points per game, tweaked his previously injured right shoulder in a 77-69 loss to Northwestern on Jan. 23. He hasn't been back since.
Coach Richard Pitino said Coffey is day-to-day. The former Hopkins High School standout played against Ohio State and Northwestern after sitting out out for a five-game stretch.
"We want to rehab him and get him to a point where he feels comfortable playing," Pitino said.
Coffey had 15 points, five turnovers and four rebounds in 32 minutes before fouling out against Northwestern at home. He tweaked his shoulder on a dunk late in the second half.
Coffey is lefthanded, so the injury doesn't affect his shooting arm. But he wore heavy tape on his right shoulder his previous two games.
Following a Jan. 3 victory over Illinois, Coffey was diagnosed with a humeral avulsion glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) lesion, which is a ligament tear near the front of the shoulder. His initial timetable for recovery was six to eight weeks.
The Gophers still are hoping Coffey can return this season and won't need surgery.
"He's a tough kid," Pitino said. "He wants to play, but we want him to be as free of pain as possible."
Barn birthday
The Barn is nearing the century mark as the home of Gophers basketball.
The fifth-oldest home court in Division I basketball turned 90 years old this week, which was celebrated with a ceremony before Tuesday's game at historic Williams Arena.
Fans 90 or older were able to attend for only 90 cents. The first 250 fans at the arena also received a concession voucher at the price of items in 1928.
The Gophers' first game at the Barn was a 42-40 double-overtime loss to Ohio State on Feb. 4, 1928.
