FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. –The college basketball season officially gets underway this weekend as NCAA Division II teams across the country open practice for the 2011-12 campaign. The NSU men’s basketball team will open its eighth season under head coach Gary Tuell, but at least two potential starters will not be in uniform for the Sharks when their first practice begins Saturday morning.

Yann Charles (Montreal, Canada), a 6-5 sophomore forward, has been diagnosed with a career-ending injury. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Jacob Reed (Perth, Australia) recently suffered his third injury in three years and will be sidelined until early or mid-December.

Charles, a native of Montreal and a transfer from NCAA Division I Robert Morris, will return home at the end of the current semester to pursue surgery before continuing his education in Canada.

“This is a sad time for all of us,” says Tuell. “Obviously Yann is devastated. Our players, coaches, trainers, and administration are all disappointed for Yann. He is such a special young man with an abundance of talent. He would have been a terrific student-athlete with a chance to be one of the premier players in the Sunshine State Conference. This is a very difficult thing for a player of Yann’s age – and with his kind of talent – to face so early in his athletic career. On the positive side, Yann is so bright and talented in other areas that he will do just fine without basketball.”

“It breaks my heart to give up basketball,” says Charles, “and especially after being here with these teammates and the coaches and everyone at NSU. I’ve never been around so many people who really care the way everyone does here.”

Charles transferred to NSU in August after spending his freshman season at Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa. At RMU Charles was a part-time starter, averaging 20.5 minutes per game, along with five points and three rebounds, including season-highs of 11 points against West Virginia and nine rebounds against Kent State. Charles is the sixth potential NSU starter in the past six years to be sidelined with a season-ending injury before the start of practice.

Reed missed most of last season while recovering from a pair of surgeries. Tuell expects him to miss several early season games while recovering from his latest injury.

“Jacob had a great summer and was on top of his game in our preseason workouts,” says Tuell. “Obviously we’re going to miss him for a while, but we’re confident he’ll be back better than ever. He’s been through worse than this. His attitude is good and we’re looking forward to his return.”

The Sharks begin practice with 14 players, including 10 new faces. “We’re going to miss Yann, there’s no question about that,” says Tuell.  “You can’t replace what he brought to the table for us. We’ve got to move forward and get the healthy players ready for the new season. We’re still excited about this team and the potential to have a good season.”

Tuell also announced that 6-9 senior Robert Huntington of Perth, Australia, 6-3 senior Teddy Tassy of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and 6-3 junior Louie Schonauer of Lincoln, Ill., will serve as the Sharks’ tri-captains this year.

“Rob and Teddy have been around here for a long while and give us great senior leadership.” says Tuell. “Louie has been a leader from the moment he stepped on campus, I couldn’t be more pleased with these three guys and what they give to our team. Not only are they excellent leaders, but the rest of the team seems very comfortable and confident following them.”

The Sharks open exhibition play on Nov. 1 against Florida Memorial. The regular season will begin on Nov. 12 against Columbus State at the NSU Arena at the Don Taft University Center.

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