Cotton breaks rib in practice

Wayne Morgan's men's basketball team has suffered an early setback. Star guard James Cotton, Last season's Big West Conference scoring leader, suffered a broken rib in practice late Sunday. There has been no indication yet on how long he will be out of action.

"It's unfortunate that James has sustained this untimely injury," Cal State Long Beach coach Morgan said. "He is one of our main leaders in practice, and he had been working extremely hard and showing great progress. We are all hoping for a speedy recovery, and we look forward to his return."

The 49ers will play the first of three exhibition games on Saturday in the annual Black-Gold intrasquad game. They play host to Wyoming in their season opener on Nov. 25.

Cotton's injury occurred during running drills. During a dive for a loose ball, his ribcage landed on the foot of freshman forward Greg Clark.

Cotton was sent to Memorial Medical Center of Long Beach for X-rays. The injury is to Cotton's lower right rib.

This particular rib is called the floating rib, because it is the only one not attached to the sternum.

Cotton, as team captain, was looked upon to be the team's leader. His absence will force first-year head coach Wayne Morgan to find a replacement for the early part of the season.

Sophomore D'Cean Bryant, junior Quincy Nuckles and senior Brandon Titus should all assume bigger roles while Cotton is sidelined.

Cotton, who averaged nearly 20 points per game last season, led the 49ers to their first Big West Conference championship in 19 years.

He is rated among the top shooting guards in the nation, and many consider him to be the best NBA prospect in the Big West Conference.