University of Alabama men’s basketball freshman forward Juwan Gary suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him for the 2019-20 season. Gary underwent successful surgery on his right knee Thursday morning and is expected to make a full recovery, per a UA release.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Lyle Cain of Andrews Sports Medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.
“It’s tough to see this happen to Juwan,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “He’s a terrific young man with a very bright future. Juwan will be surrounded by an incredible medical team that will assist him every step of his rehab process and we know he is going to come back ready to contribute for the 2020-21 season.”
Alabama has now lost two newcomers to season-ending knee injuries since school began in late August. Forward James Rojas, a junior college transfer, had season-ending knee surgery. The injuries currently have Alabama with 10 scholarshipped players available for 2019-2020 although the Crimson Tide roster could go to 11 if freshman Jahvon Quinerly receives a favorable ruling on his NCAA appeal for immediate transfer eligibility. The NCAA announced several successful appeals at schools including DePaul, Oregon State and UNLV this week and Alabama officials expect some resolution on Quinerly’s situation soon.
Gary was a four-star recruit for UA last November and was ranked as the No. 12 small forward and the No. 64 player overall by ESPN.com
Ranked No. 2 overall prospect in South Carolina by ESPN.com. He transferred to play his senior season at Liberty Heights School in Charlotte, N.C., where he averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game at Liberty Heights.
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.
