Neemias Queta, the star center for the Utah State Aggies men’s basketball team with NBA potential, injured his knee during a FIBA Under-20 European Championship game over the weekend in Portugal. Initial testing revealed a sprained knee with a dislocated kneecap, per a report out of Portugal.
The report, when translated, added that an injury to Queta’s meniscus and ACL had been ruled out.
A video of the injury shows Queta, who was playing for Portugal, batting for a rebound and falling to the ground. Then a player for the Russian team landed on him. It’s unclear whether the injury happened before or after the contact with the other player.
Queta did not play in Sunday’s championship game, which Portugal won. Queta was named to the All-Star Five of the Division B tournament, posting double-doubles in quarterfinal and semifinal games. He averaged 14.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in the tournament.
Queta helped lead the Aggies to one of its most successful seasons in 2018-2019, averaging 11.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game as a freshman. He declared for the NBA Draft and even worked out for the Utah Jazz, but later pulled out and decided to spend at least one more year at USU. His return has the Logan faithful excited.
Utah State is listed in the top 20 of various preseason Top 25 rankings for the upcoming 2019-20 college basketball season.
