UConn received crushing injury news before playing Oregon in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Terry Larrier, the Huskies’ top scorer in the first three games, has a torn ACL in the left knee and will be out for the season.
Larrier, the 6-foot-7 swingman from the Bronx, transferred to UConn from Virginia Commonwealth after his freshman season and had to sit out 2015-16. He was ready to play this season, and scored 50 points in the first three games, including what proved to be the winning basket in UConn’s win at Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
In the first half of the first game on Maui, with UConn trailing Oklahoma State by 15 points, Larrier went down awkwardly and had to be helped off. After waiting a day for the swelling to subside, Larrier had an MRI on Tuesday. UConn announced the news on Wednesday.
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“It’s unfortunate, but it happens in basketball,” coach Kevin Ollie said. “I don’t him to fight through it, get stronger after the surgery. He’s going to be working body parts he’s probably never worked in his life. He can come back from this. He’s going to be a great player for us next year.”
Larrier is considered an NBA prospect, and projected to go in the first round in some early 2017 draft projections. That will have to wait. Larrier and UConn doctors will meet Monday in Connecticut and schedule the necessary surgery. The recovery time will be about eight months, so Larrier could be ready for next season.
“I believe he is going to be stronger, better, take the game and respect the game even more after the injury,” Ollie said. “It’s taken away from you now, but he’s going to learn and grow from it and he’s going to come back and really help our team next year.”
Larrier has two years of eligibility left after this season; he can petition the NCAA for a sixth year in 2019-20.
After his injury Monday night, Larrier hopped on his right leg into the Huskies’ huddle to offer teammates encouragement. He spoke with teammates after he got the news and offered a similar message.
“We’re sad we lost him,” Jalen Adams said, “but he told us not to feel sorry for him and just be positive for him. And that’s all he’s going to bring to us is positive energy.”
Larrier, walking with a crutch, was on the court with his teammates during UConn’s loss to Oregon on Wednesday. He was not made available to reporters.
Freshman guard Alterique Gilbert and his family are weighing the possibility of shoulder surgery that could end his season. Gilbert dislocated his left shoulder at Loyola and must decide whether to try to play with the condition or have surgery to repair the shoulder. He will be further evaluated when the team gets home this weekend.
Another freshman, Mamadou Diarra, has a chronic knee problem, patellofemoral syndrome, a wearing down of the cartilage. He has not played in a game; the team is evaluating his response to treatment.
