McClintock, a gifted open-court passer who finished as the No. 2 career 3-point shooter in North Carolina high school basketball, stepped on a teammate's foot in Friday's practice and underwent an MRI on Saturday to confirm the injury.

He will have surgery sometime in the next month and is likely to require six months to heal, a school spokesman said.

It's hard to imagine a more disappointing way for the Golden Eagles to open the season as they host the University of British Columbia in an exhibition game Monday night.

McClintock has been impressive in preseason drills. ORU fans have been looking forward to his debut since he signed with the school in April.

Sutton was excited about how it might enliven ORU's offense playing McClintock in tandem with junior point guard Rod Pearson, who transferred from Southeast Missouri State.

The Eagles struggled offensively last season when shooting guard Robert Jarvis was forced to play out of position at the point and struggled to fill either role.

"I hate it for Hunter," Sutton said. "He was playing well in practice and was excited about the season. He'll be missed this year, but injuries are a part of the game and we'll have to adjust. We're confident that he'll be back to 100 percent in a few months a completely healthy in time for next season."