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Kansas University freshman basketball player Elijah Johnson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Tuesday in Lawrence.
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Kansas University freshman basketball player Elijah Johnson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday in Lawrence.
The 6-foot-2 point guard/shooting guard, out of Las Vegas’ Cheyenne High, will miss two to three weeks of pick-up ball, KU coach Bill Self said.
“They (doctors) went in and cleaned it up,” Self said of the knee that Johnson hurt in a game back on Dec. 2. “He had a slight cartilage tear he suffered in high school. He was back in class today. He’s fine.”
Johnson — he does not need the use of crutches — remembers when he hurt the knee.
“I tried to dunk on a guy in a game. I came down and hit my knee. It’s bothered me off and on for six months now,” said Johnson, who experienced soreness in the knee last week.
“It was getting irritating. I got it taken care of. I’ll be out 21⁄2 weeks. It’ll be better than new,” added the player, who is known for his athleticism.
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Comments
tennesseest (anonymous) says…
No surgery is minor surgery, but having said that, better now than later. Let's hope he takes his time to recover fully.
kevinatc (anonymous) says…
This sugery is MINOR?
crmsnblu (anonymous) says…
this surgery actually is a minor surgery. i know no one wants to believe that is possible but this one can be ran on the day of the surgery. no worries
ckessler (anonymous) says…
Check out this Nike camp roster with Sherron weighing in a 220+ lbs. This must be an error. He is in the Deron Williams college roster.
http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/06/24/de...
piratebball0012 (anonymous) says…
i hope he is ready...surgery could take time
jaybate (anonymous) says…
Hope we are in an isolated front, and not a perfect storm, of injuries brewing.
Cole--taking summer off to recover from stress reaction.
Reed--not playing because a bruised quad.
Elijah--knee surgery.
Brady--stress fracture and surgery.
The above is at least a weak injury system blowing through.
Eurekahwk (anonymous) says…
In this day and age, even a ACL tear is a minor injury! Not really, but there was a time not that long ago that suffering one in your senior year of HS meant every single recruiter took your file and burned it. You were dead to them. So your only chance of escaping some desolate hole of a town with dreams of a free ride and athletic glory were gone. Now, what was once the most devastating lower extremity injury you could sustain is merely an off season of mending.
A lot of athletes get their knees scoped in the summer time. They take a tiny probe and insert it into a hole no bigger than an ear piercing and suck out scar tissue like plastic surgeons doing a liposuction.
Jaybate, this MASH tent list you have assembled is the standard for all teams. A lot of coaches don't even tell the public about this stuff because they don't consider it noteworthy or your business. It would be an absolute act of Jesus if a team didn't have half its players aching during the year. That's why they give them good pain killers. Sherron helped us win a National Championship on a bum knee.
Besides, EJ won't crack a backcourt rotation that will have SC, TT, X, Mario Little, CJ, Releford. He won't even be able to take Morningstar or Reeds minutes. They are our two best 3 bombers, play soundly on both ends, and have three and two years respectively on him. So this isn't a big blow.
Jaminrawk (anonymous) says…
Eurekahwk - Please bookmark this comment of yours. I think EJ will get his share of minutes this upcoming season. He is like a shorter version of Julian Wright. Trust me, he will get minutes. Little and X will be playing SF. Basically, he will be in a rotation at SG with Taylor and Morningstar. Taylor will also spell Collins at PG along with CJ. To say EJ won't take minutes from Reed is insane.
OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says…
I agree with Jaminrawk.....Elijah has athleticism, aptitude and, most importantly, court attitude...he can bring an energy level beyond what Reed and Morningstar are capable of...and those two Hawks are pretty darn good!!
I have seen Elijah play ...and he is the prophet!!!
KGphoto (anonymous) says…
Is Mario Little still on the MASH list?
And nothing against EJ, Jaminrawk. But there is no way he pilfers significant minutes from three guys with experience and a 24-year-old New York Yankee. There just aren't that many minutes out there. Especially since the hawks will be going big a lot more.
EJ is probably our 1 next year. Take care of the wheels.
Jaminrawk (anonymous) says…
I understand your thinking, but coach Self really likes having athleticism on the court. Case in point, Julian Wright started before Rush or Chalmers ever did. I'm not saying the kid starts or even sees 15 minutes a game, I'm just saying he will be in the rotation.
KU1992 (anonymous) says…
Haha ACL injuries are definitely not minor. i just tore mine less than a year ago. Six months off for an athlete is torture.
Jhawkerman (anonymous) says…
Per the new release this is NOT an ACL injury. I have had the surgery he just had and the recovery is very fast .. only problem is potential for additional damage down the road .. its not likely but always possible.
I pray he will do fine and stay healthy
Rock Chalk
mjlindsm (anonymous) says…
Julian Wright didn't start before Rush and Chalmers; I have no idea where you got that. Self is a defensive-minded coach and thus Brady will see lots of minutes next year. We also need his outside shooting. I see him playing 20-25 minutes a game next year.
NebraskaJayhawk (anonymous) says…
What in the world makes someone think these talented freshman coming in won't see minutes over Morningstar or Reed. At the beginning of the season, you will see their minutes get fewer and fewer. These two athletes are great kids to have in your program, but if they are THAT good, Kansas would have won the title last year. I think you are going to see Johnson & Taylor on the floor ALOT with Sherron this year. Just my opinion.
jpstrayer (anonymous) says…
Everyone mentioning ACL may be jumping to conclusions...the article mentions cartilage tear...not a ligament tear (like an ACL). I think cartilege is "soft" tissue between bones...in this case it might be a meniscus tear.
jaybate (anonymous) says…
Eurekahwk,
I appreciate your seasoned take and your appeal to what you believe the facts to be. It gives us both something to look at and assess.
So: tell me if last year at this time, KU had a MASH tent list this long and significant?
If the injury list last year was this long, then you are right.
If the injury list last year at this time was not this long, then we have at least a potential injury problem brewing.
Yahweh (anonymous) says…
There was a quote last year regarding EJ in the LJW (I believe). I definitely will not quote it verbatim as it's been a loooong time. It was early in the season when TT was first breaking out better than anyone thought he would.
(about Tyshawn Taylor) "He thinks he's doing great, but he's going to be surprised when I start Elijah Johnson at every position next year."
He said it as a joke, and in reference to EJ's apparently sick athleticism.
I agree that he'll get a lot of playing time this year. He's regarded as a future guard in the League, after all.
mlubyRN (anonymous) says…
Calm down Jayhawk fans. Any surgery that you can get released from the hospital on day one is a minor one, trust me. It sounds like EJ was having an outpatient procedure done. He'll be fine. As for all the other bumps and bruises, they have all summer to heal. Lets not worry till October/November.
KGphoto (anonymous) says…
"Prophet" athletes have come and gone in Lawrence. They've come and gone in the NCAA. They've come and gone in the NBA.
Too much is made of athleticism. Jumping out of the gym means almost nothing. It's about staying in front of your guy on defense. Seeing the floor. Making decisions. Staying healthy. Staying out of trouble. Understanding the system, the team, and what it takes to win.
KU has a loooong list of springy, dunking, prophet failures. Hancock, Earl, Giddens, etc.
EJ will work his way into the rotation at a normal human level. He'll have to prove himself time and time again before he gets the opportunity to unseat ANY proven KU player. That means Brady. That means Taylor. That means Reed. That means the kid who wipes up the sweat with one of those round, broom-handled ShamWows.
Oakville and Eureka, I'm all for EJ. But for him to vault into some key role on a team with this kind of depth and experience? Well, it's never happened. Not here. So while I enjoy your enthusiasm, EJ is our best returner for next year, and that's probably it. But hey, that's awesome. I can't wait to see him take over after learning whatever it is he is going to learn. He may even be able to take advantage of that super-athleticism and become a hanging jersey at Kansas.
So here's to EJ staying healthy, and making the most of the best possible environment for a kid to star in. Here's to EJ and a banner... or two. Here's to a guy who wants to be at Kansas.
rasta_meta (anonymous) says…
I have had 15 "minor" surgeries (5 of them on the knee) and while the surgery might be minor, the recovery and rehab is not always "minor". It really depends on how your body reacts to it. Any surgery is an intrusion to your body and can cause some situations that may make it more difficult from which to recover. It is minor in the fact that he is able to put weight on it immediately after the surgery, but if for any reason he has an issue with inflamation and/or scaring, there could be lingering effects. Just ask Lester Earl...
BoulderHawk (anonymous) says…
Oh my god the sky is falling.
kushaw (anonymous) says…
KGPhoto: You forgot the main one out of all the Jayhawks..............Kenny Gregory! All the expectations coming out of of Ohio and then............................
jaybate (anonymous) says…
At least none one on the team has reported acute sun burn of the privates from nude skiing this summer; that used to be a condition that afflicted a number of persons when I went to school and hung in Lawrence with the usual crowed! :-)
ralster (anonymous) says…
Medically speaking, its all relative...Of course you dont wish "surgery" on anyone, but arthroscopic knee "surgery" carries more of a 'procedure' connotation, rather than the 'reconstructive' connotation of surgery. It usually is more of a 'clean out a loose fragment'. Your major clue that the joint is functional is that EJ is not even requiring crutches. Knee ligament reconstructive surgery (totally different than EJ) requires months of rehab, as muscles cannot be used for weeks, requiring re-conditioning & re-strengthening--remember what Brandon Rush went through. Plus side: EJ will be 100% in 3 weeks...now he just has to assimilate BillBall. Rush, of course, is expected to move to a starting role with the Pacers...so even ligament tears are not anymore a death knell to someone's athletic career--depending on how well they recover.
jujubean (anonymous) says…
Consider the possibility that EJ would have had this surgery previously but to wait to have it at KU probably helped with insurance coverage for the family. I'd be surprised if it wasn't planned this way. Nothing to be worried about here, IMO.