"I couldn't feel worse for any player I've coached in my career," Kevin O'Neill said from Brazil. "Jio is the heart and soul of our team and had become a high-level player. His loss is a huge blow to our team."Fontan returned to Los Angeles Wednesday and had an MRI Thursday, which revealed the torn ligament.
In his absence, the team will be forced to rely heavily on sophomore guard Maurice Jones and a trio of newcomers, Greg Allen, Alexis Moore and Byron Wesley, to handle the back court responsibilities.
"We are determined to move forward and do what we've done the past 2 years, which is fight like Trojans and have a great season," O'Neill said. "We as a team are undaunted by this loss and we will play great basketball for our fans."
