January 2, 2004

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech men's basketball guard Jamon Gordon has suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.

Dr. Joe Prudhomme will perform the surgery on Monday at Montgomery Regional Hospital. Gordon is tentatively expected to miss the next 8-10 weeks, although that could change following the surgery. Gordon injured the knee in the Hokies' win over William & Mary on Dec. 23 and an MRI performed Friday showed the injury.

"I'm tremendously disappointed for Jamon," head coach Seth Greenberg said. "He's gotten off to a great start. His maturity and toughness are beyond his years and we will sorely miss that."

"Our main concern right now is for him to get healthy and we will not bring him back until he is healthy. We have to look at the big picture and the big picture is Jamon Gordon playing a major role in the future of our basketball program."

Gordon, a freshman guard from Jacksonville, Fla., leads the Hokies in assists, is second in rebounding and fourth in scoring. He was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the first week of the season and has scored in double figures in six of the team's 11 games this season. He tied a school-record with eight steals in the win over William & Mary.

Virginia Tech opens BIG EAST play on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at nationally-ranked Pittsburgh.