VEF Rīga still assessing fitness of Šķēle and Esbry for European Cup opener
Basketball club VEF Rīga has not yet confirmed whether guards Aigars Šķēle and Caleb Esbry will be fit to play Wednesday's FIBA Europe Cup match against Bulgaria's Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Both players picked up injuries during Saturday's win over Liepāja.
Riga-based basketball club VEF Rīga has not yet determined whether guards Aigars Šķēle and Caleb Esbry will be able to take the court for Wednesday's FIBA Europe Cup match against Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Club president Gatis Jahovičs confirmed this to the LETA news agency.
Both guards picked up injuries during Saturday's Latvian-Estonian basketball league game, in which VEF Rīga secured a convincing 82:55 home win over Liepāja. Neither Šķēle nor Esbry finished that match.
Nature of the injuries
According to Jahovičs, Šķēle suffered an ankle injury, while Esbry is dealing with a knee issue. The club president noted that neither injury is expected to require long-term treatment, though it remains to be seen how quickly both players can return to action.
Role within the team this season
This season Šķēle has averaged 20 minutes per game, contributing 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds. Esbry has averaged 17 minutes per game, producing 9.5 points, 4.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds on average. The numbers underline how significant both guards are to the team's rotation.
VEF Rīga will open its FIBA Europe Cup campaign on Wednesday at home against Lokomotiv Plovdiv of Bulgaria.
