UNC guard Anthony Harris suffered torn ACL against Yale, to miss rest of season
North Carolina freshman Anthony Harris suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Dec. 30 against Yale, the school said in a press release.
He will have surgery next week, and will miss the rest of the season.
Harris suffered the knee injury in the second half as he was driving for a layup. His knee seemed to buckle as he tried to lift off the ground.
Harris fell to the floor. UNC coach Roy Williams, who rushed to Harris when play stopped, seemed visibly shaken.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking injuries one of my teams has ever dealt with,” Williams said. “Anthony is such a great kid and his teammates and coaches have all seen the countless hours he put in to come back from the knee injury he suffered in high school.”
Harris’ injury is a major cause for concern for the Tar Heels as they try to earn their 10th consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
They have dealt with a number of injuries to key players throughout the season, including Cole Anthony, who is currently out as he recovers from an arthroscopic knee procedure he had performed last month. Anthony, who was averaging 19.1 points per game, is expected to be out for at least a couple more weeks.
But in Anthony’s absence, Harris had emerged as a player the Tar Heels could count on to generate some scoring. Other players, who were initially ahead of him in the rotation, had struggled.
Harris, a 6-4, 190-pound guard, started the season off injured as he returned from a torn ACL in his left knee he suffered in December 2018 while in high school.
His first game was on Dec. 8 against Virginia. Since then, his minutes had increased as he continued to play good defense and gave the Tar Heels good energy off the bench. He scored a season-high 14 points against UCLA on Dec. 21.
He was averaging 6.8 points per game and was shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.
“I’m really torn about it,” said UNC freshman guard Jeremiah Francis, who is roommates with Harris. “We talked, but I told him this was going to be his last time doing this (rehabbing).
“It’s going to be a long journey. But coach told him that God wouldn’t give him enough that he couldn’t handle. And I’m going to keep telling him that.”
The Tar Heels play Georgia Tech on Saturday.
UNC vs. Georgia Tech
When: Jan. 4, 6 p.m.
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
TV: ACC Network
Listen: WTKK-106.1 Raleigh; WCHL-97.9, WCHL-1360 Chapel Hill; WBT-99.3, WBT-1110 Charlotte
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 10:05 AM.
