NCAA athlete gives update after one of the most horrific injuries you'll ever see
Exactly four months after Gordon Hayward dislocated his ankle with a horrific-looking injury, another basketball player has suffered the same fate on the hardwood.
But this time it isn’t an NBA star who just signed a $128 million contract. Anfernee McLemore is a college player — a sophomore forward for Auburn — but his season has come to an end following a similar injury which occurred against South Carolina on Saturday.
Auburn was on defense and McLemore was in the restricted zone as a Gamecocks player drove to the basket. That player then made contact with another Auburn player who was trying to draw a charge.
The Tiger ended up being called for a blocking foul but after making contact with the South Carolina player, the Auburn player fell backward. That’s when he collided with McLemore, who had just jumped to try to nab the rebound.
As a result of being hit while jumping, McLemore went up awkwardly and then came down even more awkwardly on his left leg. As soon as he came down, he went to the ground with his ankle bent at an angle that no one wanted to see. He screamed in pain as others on the court noticed what had just happened. They, too, had visceral reactions.
Below is video of the play, but it is quite gruesome so if you have a weak stomach, you may just want to keep reading and skip the video.
https://twitter.com/12upSport/status/964994962080321536
Auburn was down by 22 points when the injury occurred and despite being shaken by seeing their teammate’s injury, the Tigers responded with a huge run to cut the deficit to five points. However, South Carolina prevailed and upset the No. 10 team in the country, 84-75.
But the main story was McLemore’s injury and after the game he gave an update on his condition.
Thank you Auburn Family for all the love and support! Doctors said I dislocated my ankle, fractured my tibia, and will need surgery for some torn ligaments. Not to worry, I’ll be back in 4-6 months. War Eagle everybody 🦅
— Anfernee McLemore (@akmclemore) February 17, 2018
Losing McLemore is a big loss for Auburn, which is looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. They are also ranked for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Prior to Saturday’s loss, Auburn had been 18-2 in games in which McLemore started. He was a big part of their success on the defensive end, as he leads the SEC in blocked shots.
Heach coach Bruce Pearl admitted that things are going to be much tougher for Auburn from here on out without McLemore patrolling the paint.
“There’s no margin for error because we’re down to eight guys,” Pearl said. “We’re already the 305th tallest team in the country and we’ve lost our shot blocker. I’m not going to worry about what I can’t control. We’re going to try and find a way with the guys we got to go win.”
McLemore accounted for 48 percent of Auburn’s blocked shots this season and was also its second-leading rebounder. Pearl will have to rely more on junior Horace Spencer, who started the first six games of the season before giving way to McLemore.
Auburn will almost certainly drop in the rankings after losing to South Carolina. But the Tigers have a relatively easy schedule prior to the SEC Tournament, as their last four games come against unranked teams.
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