WKU freshman guard Kevin Kaspar will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 Hilltopper basketball season due to a torn left ACL that was sustained in Saturday’s win over UALR, and sophomore forward Stephon Drane will seek a medical redshirt because of a left PCL strain that occurred in September and has hampered him throughout the season.

Both are expected to fully recover and be at full strength prior to the start of the Hilltoppers’ 2012-13 campaign.

“This is tough news to hear about Kevin,” WKU interim head coach Ray Harper said. “But knowing him and the type of kid and competitor he is, he will recover and be back stronger and better than ever. This is a minor setback in his career. Kevin has a great attitude and character, and I had just talked to him last week about how those attributes will carry him far in life and help him to be successful. His teammates will rally around him and be there for him as he recovers from this injury.

“A medical redshirt is the best thing for Stephon at this point. He will have three years remaining at WKU after this season, and he can spend the rest of this season and the offseason getting bigger and stronger and continuing to develop. Stephon has a very bright future ahead of him on the basketball court, and taking the time to fully recover from this injury is in his best interests.”

Kaspar played in 20 games in his freshman season and made nine starts. He averaged 5.5 points and nearly two rebounds per game, and his breakout game came against LSU in the 2011 DirecTV Charleston Classic in November when he had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and made 3-of-5 three-point attempts. Drane played four minutes against Southeastern Louisiana on November 26 in his lone game this season. He appeared in 18 games in his freshman season of 2010-11.