Sophomore center Moses Ayegba has suffered another setback early in his Georgetown career. A university press release revealed on Monday that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a Nike Pro-City game last Thursday.

The 6-foot-9 Ayegba appeared in just six games last year after serving a season-opening nine-game suspension for receiving impermissible benefits when he arrived from his native Nigeria. However, he quickly established himself as a fan favorite through his athleticism and energetic play, despite scoring only 10 points in 26 total minutes on the court.

An ACL reconstruction requires four to six months of recovery before athletes can return to contact sports — and most take even longer to get back to their pre-injury level of function — so the news puts a dent in the sophomore’s hopes of earning major minutes this year. He would have acted as primary backup to senior Henry Sims and sophomore Nate Lubick, the probable frontcourt starters.

Ayegba’s presumed absence during the first part of the season puts an increased emphasis on the development of Head Coach John Thompson III’s recruiting class, primarily post players Otto Porter, Greg Whittington, Tyler Adams and Mikael Hopkins. Young guards like freshman Jabril Trawick and sophomore Aaron Bowen could also see increases in playing time if Thompson opts to run with a small lineup, playing junior forward Hollis Thompson at the four as he did during much of last year.