St. John's foward Justin Burrell to miss 4 to 5 weeks

St. John's senior forward Justin Burrell is expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand, coach Steve Lavin announced Monday.

Burrell fractured the second metacarpal on his left hand during a drill at practice on Friday, Oct. 15, at Taffner Field House when he collided with a teammate.

“It’s unfortunate for an athlete to begin his senior season with an injury, but the result turned out better than we anticipated,” Lavin said in a statement. “Justin has worked extremely hard this offseason to prepare himself for an outstanding senior year. Our staff has been impressed with the maturity and poise he has shown in responding to this setback. We’re looking forward to monitoring his progress over the next few weeks.”

Burrell averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last season. He missed five games last year because of a high ankle sprain.