Memphis freshman forward Adonis Thomas could be done for the season because of an injury to his left ankle, The Commercial-Appeal reported.
Thomas turned his ankle during practice Friday and an MRI on Monday revealed that he had a loose “flap” of cartilage.
“A decision (was made) today from talking to the doctors and his family that he is going to have very minor surgery,” Memphis coach Josh Pastner told the newspaper. “It’s minor. It’s not a fracture or a break. It’s just something with the cartilage, very minor. They just need to clean it up real quick. But the recovery time is that we expect him to miss possibly the remainder of the season.”
Pastner added by text to SNY.tv, “Out for 2-3 months.”
The Tigers have won six straight after opening the season at 6-5.
Thomas ranks third on the Tigers in scoring (9.6 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (3.6).
“He’s going to be in the game of basketball a long time so that it’s best to have the procedure,” Pastner said. “It’s not the injury. It’s the surgery. It’s going to take a little time to recover. The time he’ll get back to full speed — we are planning that he will miss the rest of the season.”
If all goes well, Thomas could return by the end of March.
“But that means we will still have to be playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Pastner told the paper.
Photo: AP