Hannah has surgery after altercation

By Allie Blood and Sam Wilson

Published Jan. 29, 2008

MU senior guard Stefhon Hannah was released from the hospital after having surgery for a jaw injury he received during an altercation outside Athena Night Club on Sunday morning.

Police reports indicate that Hannah was leaving the bar when he witnessed a disturbance and became involved shortly after.

“When the police arrived, an individual told them that there was someone laying unconscious on the sidewalk,” Columbia Police Department Captain Zim Schwartze said.

According to Schwartze, the police called the paramedics and Hannah was taken to University Hospital.

His injuries resulted from a blow to the head from an unknown object. It was not clear where in the head he was hit, but it was not a blow to his face. Schwartze said the witnesses were not willing to cooperate in answering police questions about the altercation.

A news release indicated he had surgery to reconstruct his broken jaw and will be unable to play for four to six weeks.

In the interim, coach Mike Anderson has tapped sophomore guard Keon Lawrence as the principle replacement for Hannah. Even though Lawrence is only a sophomore, Anderson said he is ready and is not worried about Lawrence’s experience.

“He’s been there,” Anderson said. “He’s done that.”

But Anderson said he didn’t want to project too much about Wednesday night’s game at home against Nebraska, not even guaranteeing Keon Lawrence would start.

“As of right now, we’ll see how practice goes.” Anderson said.

The team is also expecting other guards, like Matt Lawrence, sophomore J.T. Tiller and senior Jason Horton to help fill the void.

“The main thing coach told us was, ‘You can handle adversity in two ways; we have to handle it the right way and come together as a team,’” Matt Lawrence said.

Lawrence said he is not underestimating the void the team is feeling.

“The thing about Stefhon is he does a lot of things well,” Lawrence said. “He distributes the ball well, he shoots very well, he scores. He’s a guy that will get a big bucket when you need it.”

Hannah had been averaging 28.1 minutes a game. Matt Lawrence said this is the reason why it will take more than one player to replace his production.

“There’s going to be guys that need to be out there longer,” Lawrence said. “And with the up-tempo style, coach, he’s probably thinking about it right now. He might play a little bit more zone, try to stretch their minutes a little bit, but still be effective.”

Hannah has started 19 of the team’s 20 games. He averaged 14.7 points and 5.25 assists per game.

According to Anderson, the team is collecting facts about the incident and has not made a decision regarding repercussions.

“Right now our first concern is his health,” Anderson said.

Center Kalen Grimes was dismissed from the team in summer of 2007 for being arrested on suspicion of hitting a man with the butt of a shotgun in Florissant, Mo.

A few days earlier, junior forward DeMarre Carroll was shot outside Club Tropicana. He was not suspended from the team.

At a news conference Monday, Anderson was asked what rules were set forth regarding player behavior. He declined to comment on rules about player behavior.

“We have team rules, we are trying to find all the facts here,” Anderson said.

Anderson was unable to comment on whether other players were with Hannah or what produced the injury.

Anderson did not say whether Hannah explicitly violated team rules.

“A lot of bad things take place late at night,” Anderson said.

Schwartze said the Athena Night Club has a history of violent incidents.

“We have been trying to work with that location for a number of years now,” Schwartze said.

In order to deter crime, police have attempted to increase their presence in the area.