Georgia Tech sophomore forward Robert Carter Jr. underwent successful surgery Tuesday afternoon to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, but coach Brian Gregory considers it a long shot to get him back in action this season.
The Yellow Jackets won’t know until evaluating Carter over the next several weeks whether he will be able to come back from the surgery this season, but after Tech’s loss at Duke on Tuesday night, Gregory said he considers it “still very doubtful.”
“We’re not going to push it,” Gregory said. “We’re not going to rush him back. That will be the doctors’ and Robert’s and his family’s call. It will depend on swelling, pain and (his) ability to move. He’s got a future in basketball, obviously, and we’re not going to do anything to compromise that whatsoever.”
Gregory said the Tech medical staff has explained that basketball players with similar injuries can take anywhere from six weeks to six months to recover. And with Carter at 6-foot-9, 260 pounds, a lot is riding on that knee.
Carter had averaged nearly a double-double for Tech (10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds; the latter tied for the ACC lead) before he hurt his knee on a baseline move against Charlotte on Dec. 29.
Gregory said Carter will get state-of the-art care, time and space to see how the knee responds. Gregory said he likely will announce in the next two to three weeks whether it appears Carter can return.
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