CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Barry Hinson announced today that senior guard Tyler Smithpeters will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury and apply for a medical redshirt.



Smithpeters logged only seven minutes in the season opener versus Wright State on Nov. 11 when the injury occurred. The initial diagnosis was for him to miss 3-4 weeks, however, pain and swelling returned to the knee each time he tried to practice.



"It's really disappointing, especially being with Sean O'Brien for four years," Smithpeters said. "I was looking forward to our last year together. It's no fun sitting on the bench, but if I'm not at 100 percent, then it's not fair to my teammates if I can't compete at that level."



His coach agreed.



"I'm not going to put a player on the court who is not at full strength, and risk further injury or permanent damage to the knee," Hinson said. "I met with Tyler and his parents, and the best course of action for everyone is to allow the knee to completely heal and apply for the medical redshirt."



Smithpeters has played 93 games during his career at SIU, including 63 starts, dating back to his freshman year. He has earned a reputation as a 3-point marksman, connecting on 39.5 percent of his career attempts, which ranks sixth in school history.