St. Joseph's Papa Ndao Out for the Season

Phil Martelli's St. Jospeh's Hawks stormed to an Atlantic 10 Championship and the NCAA Tournament a year ago.  Gone are key pieces Halil Kanacevic and Ronald Roberts Jr. for the professional ranks and now it looks as if Martelli may have a tougher job filling those voids.

Big man Papa Ndao has been lost for the season with an unspecified medical issue. Ndao averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in just about 12 minutes per game. Ndao was supposed to have a lot bigger role for the Hawks this upcoming year.

In a statement from the school Martelli said:

"Papa's well-being is our primary concern. While I am disappointed that Papa won't be with us physically, I expect him to play a significant role as a team leader."

Martelli will now turn to the likes Isaiah Miles, Javon Baumann, and freshman 3-star recruits Obi Romeo and Markell Lodge. Miles averaged 3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game a year ago and Baumann appeared in 15 contests.