UCLA men’s basketball guard Prince Ali receives knee surgery
Sophomore guard Prince Ali underwent surgery on July 15 to repair a torn meniscus. His eligibility to make contributions to the 2016-2017 season is still an unknown. (Miriam Bribiesca/Photo editor)
By Matt Joye
July 17, 2016 6:33 p.m.
UCLA men’s basketball player Prince Ali underwent successful knee surgery Friday on a torn meniscus. The sophomore guard will be re-evaluated in mid-November – right when the NCAA men’s basketball season begins – per UCLA Athletics.
A torn meniscus is a familiar injury to UCLA sports fans, as linebacker Myles Jack suffered the same injury last September. It kept him off the field for six months.
Even when Jack was back on the field for his pro day in March, he still wasn’t at full strength in his workouts.
“I’d say I’m about 80 (percent),” Jack said on March 15, almost six months after tearing his meniscus.
It’s uncertain whether Ali’s torn meniscus is as serious as Jack’s, but if it is, it could be yet another blow to the Bruins’ backcourt. UCLA lost incoming freshman guard Kobe Paras last month due to academic eligibility issues.
Ali was one of the few contributors on a thin UCLA bench last season. He struggled to find a groove offensively during the season, averaging 3.9 points on 38.8 percent shooting in 11.8 minutes per game.
