When Howard University's Theodore Boyomo went down with a knee injury in an exhibition game before the start of the season that was later diagnosed as a tear of the ACL, head coach Kevin Nickelberry figured that would be his allotment of season-ending injuries.

Boyomo, a 6-9 freshman center from Cameroon, had surgery on the knee and was ruled out for the season.

Then in what would become the unthinkable, the Bison have lost yet another key player to a serious injury.  Junior guard Calvin Thompson, the team leader and pre-season All-MEAC second team selection, injured his knee in the loss at Purdue last Sunday and suffered what is being called a tear of the ACL.  It is a major blow to the team.

"Losing Theodore was devastating enough," said Nickelberry of his prize recruit.  "We were just beginning to adjust.  Now we lose Calvin for what looks like the rest of the season.  It is certainly not something that happens often.  We just have to re-group, work hard with the players that we have to be as competitive as we can be."

The Bison (1-2) are coming off a 66-34 loss at Delaware in which Nickelberry says he takes the blame for the team's poor performance.

"We as coaches have to stop worrying about who we don't have and concentrate on developing and working with the young players that we have so that we will be competitive throughout the season.  We will do a better job."

And if those injuries were not enough, Howard played the Delaware game without guard Kyle Riley, the team's only senior and key contributor.  Riley suffered an ankle injury at Purdue and will be evaluated on a game-by-game basis, according to Nickelberry.

Howard takes on Saint Francis College of New York in Brooklyn on Sunday at 2 pm before coming home for a Tuesday showdown with crosstown rival American University at 7 pm and against Oregon State on Saturday at 4 pm.