Miller Won’t Be Available For Duty Against UCLA

A day after their two tallest players quit the team, the San Diego State Aztecs learned Thursday that their second-leading scorer, Courtie Miller, will not play Saturday against UCLA.

And, while the Aztecs hoped to have transfer Tony Clark ready to play by Saturday, they discovered he will not play until the Texaco Star Classic Dec. 20 because he has to take three final examinations next week before becoming eligible.

As for Miller, who is averaging 12 points a game, his sore right knee has not come along as quickly as hoped after a cortisone injection Sunday. SDSU Coach Jim Brandenburg said Miller will be examined by doctors again this morning and have a bone scan, after which they will decide whether he will undergo arthroscopic surgery. Members of SDSU’s medical staff believe Miller has a partial tear in the lateral meniscus in his knee.

Regardless of the outcome of today’s examination, Brandenburg said Miller will not play Saturday. If Miller does have surgery, trainer Mark Haines said Miller will be out about three weeks.

“It’s a disappointment for the coaching staff, the team, and for Courtie as well,” Brandenburg said.

The news followed by one day the announcement that reserve centers Mark and Neal Pollard have quit the team.

Clark, a transfer from the University of Arizona who is coming off of an August surgery for a herniated disk in his back, said he had hoped to be ready for UCLA but has two final exams scheduled for Monday and one for Tuesday. He won’t become eligible until after all of his grades are turned in by his professors.

“If there was only one final, I would have tried to rearrange it,” Clark said. “But changing three would have jeopardized my grades. I don’t think one game is worth jeopardizing a whole semester.”

Although Clark said his back swells up after each practice, he figures he is “80 to 85%” of his old self.

In other injury news, swingman Terrence Hamilton, who has missed the past three games with a broken toe, is expected to play Saturday.