Kentucky freshman Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to be out of action until January due to a left foot injury.
The 6-8 forward suffered the injury during the team’s first practice on Friday, which was the official start of practice for many teams around the country.
According to the school, Vanderbilt will likely need surgery.
Tough news to report today. Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss the next three months with a left foot injury. https://t.co/kiKjzZ2Sb4 pic.twitter.com/obZMHny74H
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) September 30, 2017
After dealing with previous injury setbacks, Vanderbilt reassured Kentucky fans and vowed to return as soon as possible.
“I just want to let the Big Blue Nation know I’m going to be fine and looking forward to coming back better than ever,” Vanderbilt said. “I’ve had some setbacks before and I’ve come back from all of them. After talking with my doctor and my family, I feel good about the plan they have in place for me. I’m anxious to get this right and return to my team so I can put this behind me for good. I can’t wait to get back to my brothers and help us compete for a national championship this season.”
Vanderbilt was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect in ESPN’s Top 100 for the 2017 recruiting class.
Lovell’s Analysis
This definitely isn’t an ideal start to practice for the Wildcats.
Vanderbilt is expected to be a big piece of the puzzle this season due to his versatility and length, and this is undoubtedly a setback for a player that’s battled injury issues throughout his career.
On the bright side, Kentucky certainly has the depth at the forward position to fill the void. Wenyen Gabriel has a chance to break out during his sophomore season, and the freshman duo of Kevin Knox and P.J. Washington will make an immediate impact.
As long as this doesn’t turn into a nagging injury, Vanderbilt should return in time to be a valuable asset for Kentucky as it tries to navigate through a competitive SEC slate.