MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Just as Adonis Thomas was getting into the groove of his freshman season with the Tigers, it has come to a sudden halt.
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan was taken on Thomas' ankle Monday night (January 16), but it didn't show any significant injury other than an ankle sprain. It took the expertise of three doctors and a foot and ankle specialist to figure out he had suffered peroneal tendon retinaculum. In simple speak, the cartilage in his left ankle that holds two tendons together has torn.
Thomas said Tuesday afternoon upon hearing the news Monday night, "I mean once I heard, I broke down. I mean I couldn't handle it that I couldn't finish my first season as a college basketball player."
Thomas went on to explain that this is his first ankle injury, and the doctors told him, because of the way his foot is built, it was inevitable. He could have played through the injury and the pain to finish the season, but would not have been at top performance. The only way the injury will heal is if he has surgery. That will take place Friday morning, January 20.
"I was just figuring like 'why me?'," Thomas added. "I mean as small as the injury was, I didn't think it would need surgery, but I mean that's the way it went, so I mean a lot of guys are just encouraging me. They keeping me on their shoulder. They staying with me still like big brothers like they were when I came to the school, so I'm proud of that. I'm going to stay positive. I mean I can't be mad at the situation."
Tigers head coach Josh Pastner explained, "I didn't want him to get into a game where he's thinking about it, and then he's 70 percent, and he's limping and leaning, and then all of the sudden you end up getting, as you guys know in sports, when you're leaning and not going 100 percent, you actually have a chance to get an injury on something else."
Doctors have told Pastner and Thomas it will take two to three months for him to heal and finish rehabilitation. If he is back to 100 percent and the Tigers are still playing, he could return to the court to contribute.
The Tigers forward/guard has been Memphis' third-leading scorer up to this point. In 16 of 17 games the team has played, he averaged nearly 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 26 minutes of play.
