SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Susquehanna University men's basketball team's starting center and 6-8 freshman Zigmas Kaknevicius (at left) (Lithuania/Long Island Lutheran H.S.) has been lost for the remainder of the season due to a dislocation of his left shoulder, suffered in Monday's 73-65 win over the University of Scranton. Kaknevicius will have surgery to repair the injury Friday at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
The loss of Kaknevicius comes just one day after Susquehanna learned it was ranked fourth in this week's NCAA Division III Middle Atlantic Region poll, presently at 12-4 for 11th-year head coach Frank Marcinek after winning eight of its last nine games, including the last three. Kaknevicius also becomes the second starting basketball center to suffer a season-ending injury at the school, joining women's basketball 6-2 senior and tri-captain Karyn Kern (26.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg) who suffered a season-ending knee injury five games into the campaign.
The starting center for all of the team's first 16 games, Kaknevicius had his best game Monday before suffering the injury while trying to make a steal with 3:54 remaining. He scored a career best 12 points on six of nine shooting, also tying for a game and career high in rebounds with nine. He also played a key role Saturday as Susquehanna upset the region's number-one ranked team and the previously undefeated MAC Commonwealth leader, beating Albright 60-58. Kaknevicius had six points while making all three of his shots from the field, also grabbing a team high seven rebounds and blocking two shots.
For the season, Kaknevicius was the team leader in field goal percentage at 59.3 percent (35 of 59), and blocked shots with 13 (0.8 per game) – ranking third in rebounding at 4.8 per game. He averaged 5.0 points in 22.4 minutes per game.
"It's really unfortunate to lose Zigmas for the rest of the season. I felt like all his hard work was starting to pay off and he was playing his best basketball of the year when he went down," said Marcinek.
Kaknevicius was a four-year letterwinner and one-year Honorable Mention New York City All-Star at Long Island Lutheran, helping the team win the 1998 New York Class A state championship. He is a business major and the son of Tomas Kaknevicius and Rosa Kakneviciene of Silutes raj., Lithuania.
Six-foot-six sophomore Stephan Schrankel (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel H.S.) will now start for Kaknevicius at center, making his first collegiate start Wednesday at MAC Commonwealth Conference rival Messiah. Schrankel was the back-up for Kaknevicius in all 16 games this season, playing 14.2 minutes per game and averaging 2.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
