SPOKANE, Wash. — Star forward Killian Tillie will not play in Gonzaga men’s basketball’s season opener against Alabama State on Tuesday after undergoing a knee procedure last month.
CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein confirmed the news with head coach Mark Few on Tuesday morning.
Tillie, a pre-season All-WCC team selection, had a knee procedure in early October that kept him from attending Kraziness in the Kennel. At that time, the team planned to evaluate him week to week.
"It was for the long run. We have a little window here to do something so we went for it. It'll be a really good move for him as we venture down the road,” Few told KREM in October.
On Friday, Gonzaga Sports Information Director Barrett Henderson announced that freshman guard Brock Ravet would take an “indefinite leave” from the program for personal reasons.
More recently, the Zags dismantled Lewis-Clark State in Saturday’s exhibition game, with a final score of 116-61. Freshman Anton Watson led the way with 28 points.
The Zags take on Alabama State at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in McCarthey Athletic Center. Fans can watch the game on ROOT Sports.
Gonzaga enters the game at No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason poll. The ranking matches the second-highest preseason ranking in Gonzaga basketball history.
Eight new-student athletes, including six freshmen, are on the Zags’ roster this year. One starter and five letterwinners are returning from last year’s team.