The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/21/08 Section: March Madness

Media Credit: AP A.J. Price is carried off the court by teammates Friday in UConn's NCAA Tournament first-round loss to San Diego.

TAMPA, Fla. -- A.J. Price suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, tests confirmed Friday night, and will likely undergo surgery sometime this week.

Rehabilitation time could last up to six months for the tear to heal, according to UConn Director of Sports Medicine Jeffrey Anderson.

Price took a hard spill midway through Friday's NCAA Tournament first round match-up with San Diego and had to be carried off the court by teammates after suffering what team officials were then describing as a sprained left knee.

The junior, who missed the first two seasons of his career because of a life-threatening medical condition and a year-long suspension, will return to Connecticut with the team today and an exact time for the surgery will be set.

After writhing in pain on the end of the bench while the UConn training staff worked on him, he was taken into the locker room.

Price returned to the bench area in the first half with his knee wrapped in ice, and upon emerging from the tunnel late after halftime, he had a blue brace on the injury as he sat watching the remainder of the game.

"I am really concerned about A.J.," said head coach Jim Calhoun after Friday's game. "Particularly with all the things that he's been through and the comeback he's made to have something like that happen …

"I'm sure that in his dreams when he was in ICU or coming out of some of the things that he's come out of, and then to go down early in an NCAA Tournament game, I feel very badly for him, certainly."

The guard finished the season averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists per game in 33 appearances.

He didn't score in the nine minutes he played Friday.


Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.

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