After a down fifth season for Phil Cofer, it has somehow gotten worse with news of his father passing away during Florida State's first-round game against Vermont.
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The Seminoles' leading scorer during the 2017-18 season, Cofer began the season unable to play due to a foot injury that has lingered and kept him out of the opening game of the NCAA Tournament. And when he has played, he hasn't had the same success scoring that he did last season.
Cofer was told about his father passing away after the 76-69 victory and just adds to the extremely tough final season he has had. After last year when he averaged 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 35 games, his averages in 22 games fell to 7.5 points and 3.4 rebounds.
A big part of his scoring struggles are due to his inability to make shots, not because he isn't playing as many minutes. Last season, he averaged 29.3 minutes and was making 48.6 percent of his shots and 37.5 percent of his threes. As a senior, he has averaged playing 26.2 minutes and is making just 39.1 percent of his shots and 34.9 percent from behind the arc.
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During the 2017-18 season, Cofer scored in double-digits 22 times, including six times over 20. This season, he scored in double-figures just six times, with a season-high of 21 against Duke when he hit five 3-pointers. That is just 27 percent of games hitting 10 points compared to 63 percent a year ago.
The expectations when Cofer was given a fifth year of eligibility were much higher after such a great season, but injuries have really derailed the season. He hasn't been able to consistently stay on the floor, so that really makes it difficult to stay consistent and find rhythm.
I really hope even with this awful news, Cofer still has a chance to come back and play at some point in the NCAA Tournament, maybe even avenge the Elite Eight loss last season against Michigan when he had 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Michigan Wolverines.
