South Carolina forward Carlton Geathers out six months with knee injury

COLUMBIA — South Carolina forward Carlton Geathers will miss at least six months because of a right knee cap fracture that will require surgery.

Geathers suffered the injury Thursday in Columbia in a summer pro-am league game. A six-month recovery time means he wouldn’t be available until late January. As a redshirt freshman last season, Geathers played in 28 games, with one start. He averaged one point and 1.5 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game, fewest among scholarship players.

Though Geathers isn’t a star player, his injury is yet another blow to USC’s front-court depth.

After USC replaced coach Darrin Horn with Frank Martin, the Gamecocks lost their primary post players from last season when Anthony Gill and Damontre Harris decided to transfer, to Virginia and Florida, respectively.

Geathers and RJ Slawson are the only returning post players. Slawson, a rising junior from Fort Dorchester High, averaged 4.5 points, four rebounds and 17.8 minutes last season.

Martin has commitments from two Lithuanian forwards who are expected to arrive for this season — Laimonas Chatkevicius (6-10, 230 pounds) and Mindaugas Kacinas (6-7, 205). Chatkevicius was previously committed to Martin when he coached at Kansas State.