Kansas University basketball signee Keith Langford had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Tuesday.
The 45-minute procedure was a huge success, says Langford’s mother, who has been told her son should have a speedy recovery.
“The doctor said everything went fine and Keith will be up and playing in two weeks,” Charlene Taylor said Tuesday night from her home in Crowley, Texas.
The scope fixed a torn medial meniscus in the 6-foot-5, 200-pounder’s left knee, she said.
“The doctor was going to try to repair the tear, which was two to four centimeters long,” Taylor said. “Since Keith played on it all season long, it couldn’t be repaired.
“He (doctor) had to cut the frayed portion of the meniscus out. If he repaired it, it would have been a 6-to-8 week recovery. By removing it, it’s just two weeks,” Taylor added.
Langford he averaged 25.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season is planning on playing in the Texas Assn. of Basketball Coaches all-star game on May 4 in San Antonio.
He also will play in the High School Coaches Clinic all-star game later in May in Houston.
“The doctor gave us pictures of Keith’s ACL, MCL. He said the ACL and everything were very strong, considering it was the knee of an athlete,” Taylor said.
“The knee looked really strong with no damage to ligaments, tendons or muscles. There’s nothing to rehab. Once the swelling and soreness goes away, he’ll be ready to play. This is actually better than a knee sprain,” she added.
Langford may be on crutches a week.
“He was walking around without the crutches and I already heard him doing push-ups upstairs,” Taylor said.
Langford has been named first-team all-state by the Texas Assn. of Basketball Coaches. He also made the Texas Sportswriters Assn. all-state team for the second straight year.
On Tuesday he was named North Texas player of the year by the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
KU coach Roy Williams was pleased to hear the surgery went well, Langford’s mom said.
“He called tonight and was saying he remembers at North Carolina Kenny Smith had the same surgery. He was out eight days, came back and scored 41 points,” Taylor said.
“This is good news. The main thing I wanted was for him to not be on crutches when he came to KU in June. I didn’t want him to have a swollen knee or anything. Now he should be fine by the time he gets to Lawrence.”
