Incoming Providence point guard Kris Dunn will undergo shoulder surgery in about two weeks and could be sidelined up to five months, according to a report in the New London (Conn.) Day.
“I have a torn labrum,” Dunn, a McDonald’s All-American, told the paper. “I’ve got a fracture in my bone. It happened during the NFA game during the ECC tournament (on March 1). I got fouled hard and I kind of dislocated it a little bit and it popped back in real quickly.
“… I went to a couple trainers and physical therapists and they said it was just bruised. So I just kept playing on it and I thought it would go away if I just iced it, and it didn’t.”
The pain persisted throughout the rest of his senior season and cropped up again this summer when Dunn trained with the U.S. U18 team in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“That’s when I felt something was really going down,” he said. “Every time I tried to play defense, or play offense or go up for a dunk, it just kept popping out.”
Providence coach Ed Cooley told SNY.tv Monday that they wouldn’t know anything until Dunn underwent an MRI on Thursday.
Yet Dunn will be out until at least December, delaying the much anticipated start of one of the top incoming players to the Big East.
“It’s very tough,” Dunn said. “I just can’t play basketball, that’s all I know. Just sitting out for five months not being able to play basketball will be totally different. It’s a disaster for me and my family. It’s a downfall for us.
“Hopefully, I can bounce back. Providence fans wanted to see me and Ricardo (Ledo) and other new recruits coming in. Hopefully, they understand the process that I’m going through and I’ll get back on my feet.”
Providence recruit Ian Baker also tore his ACL during a recent open gym and told SNY.tv he would “probably” wait until he gets to school to undergo surgery. He goes to Providence Saturday. ACL recovery typically takes 6-8 months.
Photo: The Day
