USC basketball: DeWayne Dedmon fractures shooting hand

USC 7-foot forward DeWayne Dedmon, a possible breakout star for the Trojans this season and a player USC Coach Kevin O'Neill had deemed a future NBA lottery pick, fractured his right hand around his index finger during a short practice Tuesday and could be out four to six weeks, O'Neill said Wednesday. 

O'Neill said there's a chance the athletic sophomore could wear a brace on his right hand -- his shooting hand -- and be able to play, as then-senior Alex Stepheson did early last season. 

"I don’t know if he’s going to be able to do that or not," O'Neill said. "There might not be a need for him to do that right now, being that it’s just practice and stuff going on."

USC opens its season Nov. 11 against Cal State Northridge, roughly four weeks from when the injury occurred. If he's out the full six weeks, he would miss as many as seven games, all non-conference. 

This is the second preseason injury to a key Trojans player. Guard Jio Fontan is out for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during an exhibition trip to Brazil in August. 

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-- Baxter Holmes