UConn's Mamadou Diarra underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus...

[UconnU]

You can walk in 4-6 weeks, but D1 ball is a tall order. Have to get over the fear of another tear too. The mental side.

That's bs Jimmy Butler returned from a major meniscus tear that required surgery after like 6 weeks. Some NFL players have returned after 2-3 weeks. It's not generally viewed as a bad injury.

 

[huskymedic]

That's bs Jimmy Butler returned from a major meniscus tear that required surgery after like 6 weeks. Some NFL players have returned after 2-3 weeks. It's not generally viewed as a bad injury.

Depends on whether the meniscus is removed or repaired. If the meniscus (or piece) is removed it’s a quicker recovery than if it the meniscus is repaired by stitching it back together. It also depends where the meniscus tear is and the available blood supply.

This is also the same knee as his previous injury. A lot of variables.

 

[Austin316]

This will be more motivation for Hurley to get guys to step up. I wish nothing but the best for Mama. I’ve been at the edge of my seat waiting for him to break out. At least it wasn’t an ACL and he should be hungry when he returns off the bench for a few minutes/game. Bummer.

 

[Fan4ever]

Stinks to have happened with the onset of the Hurley era. Question now is how he not only rehabs but also stays in tune with the mental side of the game and the nuances which the new staff will impart on the team. MD cannot afford to distance himself, rather become increasingly cerebral, pick the coaches brains and learn how to properly defend w/o fouling.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Ollie really knew how to find prime athletes.

What's the secret to your consistency?

 

[UofCT]

One season! Just one season with no major injuries. !

2010 (unless you count Calhoun), 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

 

[UofCT]

What's the secret to your consistency?

You can’t blame Diarra for getting recruited by somebody who only recruits injury prone athletes

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Don't forget we have Smith, who is our only completely healthy true PG and already knows the system. He will be in the rotation.

Why, and I repeat WHY, do so many people not consider Jalen a true PG??? I don’t really understand what he has to do for that stigma to change around here. He’s our starting PG, far and away our best PG, and as of right now the only player I trust with the ball in his hands on this team.

 

[Scrutineer]

A meniscus tear is generally viewed as a minor injury. Football players generally only miss a few weeks with torn meniscuses. Odd that this is requiring surgery. Not good.

From WebMD:Treatment for meniscal tears depends on the size and location of the tear. Other factors which influence treatment include age, activity level and related injuries. The outer portion of the meniscus, often referred to as the “red zone,” has a good blood supply and can sometimes heal on its own if the tear is small. In contrast, the inner two thirds of the meniscus, known as the “white zone,” does not have a good blood supply. Tears in this region will not heal on their own as this area lacks blood vessels to bring in healing nutrients.

From me: From the WebMD description it sounds as if Mamadou tore the meniscus in the "white zone", thus requiring full surgical repair and its resultant longer recovery time. And, if I recall correctly, this is the more permanent and best long term solution for younger people, especially athletes in high impact sports, because it can restore the complete meniscus rather than just simply removing the torn piece.

There is a shorter recovery time for lesser tears where they just remove the torn piece.

UConn is apparently doing what's best for the athlete in the long term, including his life after his playing career, and not worrying about how the team will be affected this year.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Agree 100%. Funny how if Kemba’s JR season didn’t go as well as it did as a team, people would prob push the same narrative about him.

 

[Kemba'sYogurt]

I haven't read the replies in this thread, so I apologize if someone else has said this already but on Kwintins instagram story Mamadou was in the gym earlier shooting around. Shooting off one leg with the crutches off to the side. Just taking some stationary mid range shots with someone feeding him.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Shooting off one leg with the crutches off to the side. Just taking some stationary mid range shots with someone feeding him.

Total respect for the kid for his heart. Inspiring.
The thing about things like this is, sometimes it's just not in the cards. That's just life. We all face it, at one time or another, with one thing or another. It's the day you realize that some thing that you've wanted or worked for or dreamed of . . . is not going to happen. It can be brutal. But, cliched but true, life goes on.
Obviously, we all hope the kid makes a complete recovery and breaks out and has a great career. It's entirely possible that he never sees any meaningful court time - he may be more Greg Oden than Sean Livingston.
Either way - and I feel very strongly about this - he came here, he's one of ours, Dan Hurley re-recruited him to stay, and I have no doubt that Hurley and UConn will take care of him whether he becomes an all conference player or a guy who never plays more than 5 minutes a game. Once and always a Husky, and all that pish.

 

[champs99and04]

I think he's more important to next year's team than anyone not named Adams or Gilbert. Now, we're likely shorthanded for the vital OOC portion of the schedule, and more importantly, we almost certainly will not see an imminent jump from a raw player who needed every second of skill development he could get.

I'm not sure how much this moves the needle if the goal is to make the tournament, but I now view our ceiling as considerably lower.

 

[BFieldHusky]

I think he's more important to next year's team than anyone not named Adams or Gilbert. Now, we're likely shorthanded for the vital OOC portion of the schedule, and more importantly, we almost certainly will not see an imminent jump from a raw player who needed every second of skill development he could get.

I'm not sure how much this moves the needle if the goal is to make the tournament, but I now view our ceiling as considerably lower.

Not denying that losing diarra isn't somewhat of a blow. But I would argue that besides adams/gilbert....Polly, Wilson, and Carlton are more important to the teams success than Diarra was going to be.

 

[Hoophound]

This is a loss for sure but I’m not prepared to say it is going to hold us back. So much goes into building a good team. Chemistry, rotation, player confidence etc. This could work in our favor if Whaley, Williams or Cobb really break out because they have more minutes. Cobb is in shape for the first time and has talent, Williams has that explosive energy that Diarra brings, Whaley showed flashes of good play and Yakwe brings rim protection and experience. Any of these guys mixed in with Wilson and Polley in a small lineup could provide for us. Diarra is a nice kid with plenty of potential but I wasn’t relying on him to carry this team in any way. I just wanted him to develop more.

 

[the Q]

This is a loss for sure but I’m not prepared to say it is going to hold us back. So much goes into building a good team. Chemistry, rotation, player confidence etc. This could work in our favor if Whaley, Williams or Cobb really break out because they have more minutes. Cobb is in shape for the first time and has talent, Williams has that explosive energy that Diarra brings, Whaley showed flashes of good play and Yakwe brings rim protection and experience. Any of these guys mixed in with Wilson and Polley in a small lineup could provide for us. Diarra is a nice kid with plenty of potential but I wasn’t relying on him to carry this team in any way. I just wanted him to develop more.

None of the bigs are currently good enough to rely on carrying anything.

Although I am excited to have some actual rim protection this year.

 

[Peacefrog]

From WebMD:Treatment for meniscal tears depends on the size and location of the tear. Other factors which influence treatment include age, activity level and related injuries. The outer portion of the meniscus, often referred to as the “red zone,” has a good blood supply and can sometimes heal on its own if the tear is small. In contrast, the inner two thirds of the meniscus, known as the “white zone,” does not have a good blood supply. Tears in this region will not heal on their own as this area lacks blood vessels to bring in healing nutrients.

From me: From the WebMD description it sounds as if Mamadou tore the meniscus in the "white zone", thus requiring full surgical repair and its resultant longer recovery time. And, if I recall correctly, this is the more permanent and best long term solution for younger people, especially athletes in high impact sports, because it can restore the complete meniscus rather than just simply removing the torn piece.

There is a shorter recovery time for lesser tears where they just remove the torn piece.

UConn is apparently doing what's best for the athlete in the long term, including his life after his playing career, and not worrying about how the team will be affected this year.

Having had multiple meniscus tears I think the situation is actually the opposite of what you postulate. I believe a tear in the white zone is simply snipped out. There is no blood supply for the meniscus to heal so the damaged portion is removed. This comes with a short recovery time, however, will likely predispose the patient to a higher risk of arthritis etc,,, in the long run. He probably has a tear in the red zone that can be repaired but this takes time.

 

[Sphinx]

I think he's more important to next year's team than anyone not named Adams or Gilbert. Now, we're likely shorthanded for the vital OOC portion of the schedule, and more importantly, we almost certainly will not see an imminent jump from a raw player who needed every second of skill development he could get.

I'm not sure how much this moves the needle if the goal is to make the tournament, but I now view our ceiling as considerably lower.

Agree. We have just lost our starting 4 (and potentially leading rebounder) for the first two months of the season. Looking down the remaining roster, I would wager that two of our top three rebounders will be guards.

 

[the Q]

Having had multiple meniscus tears I think the situation is actually the opposite of what you postulate. I believe a tear in the white zone is simply snipped out. There is no blood supply for the meniscus to heal so the damaged portion is removed. This comes with a short recovery time, however, will likely predispose the patient to a higher risk of arthritis etc,,, in the long run. He probably has a tear in the red zone that can be repaired but this takes time.

The doc who has done all 3 of my meniscus tears also said that once you have it in one leg, you are likely to have the issue in the other leg in the next 7-9 years.

Mine was year 8...

 

[Vancat]

Chief predicted this, right?

 

[Peacefrog]

The doc who has done all 3 of my meniscus tears also said that once you have it in one leg, you are likely to have the issue in the other leg in the next 7-9 years.

Mine was year 8...

That’s bad news for me possibly although it has been a long time since the original injury (happened while playing basketball at UConn no less) and my other knee is fine.

 

[Bonk]

Our front court will still be fine barring any more injuries, we just need guys like sid and polley to step up more in the weight room and add more physicality to their game

 

[sledog]

Where was it done. Hope they learned from the AG experience and retured to Steadman Hawkins at Vail

 

[huskymedic]

Where was it done. Hope they learned from the AG experience and retured to Steadman Hawkins at Vail

UConn Health

 

[the Q]

That’s bad news for me possibly although it has been a long time since the original injury (happened while playing basketball at UConn no less) and my other knee is fine.

I'm its not perfect.

I had a double tear in my left knee that cost me my senior year of college baseball.

Then had the right one done 20 years later after tore it moving about as slow as possible (after a made basket with no press.....so slow lol) at an AAU game.

I hope you avoid the other side. It was a lot harder the 2nd time.

 

[Palatine]

We open November 8th in the 2K Classic.

Best case, he is practicing with the team as we begin play. If it's six months, we don't see him until the back half of the schedule.

It's not ideal. We'll see how it plays out.

 

[intlzncster]

We open November 8th in the 2K Classic.

Best case, he is practicing with the team as we begin play. If it's six months, we don't see him until the back half of the schedule.

It's not ideal. We'll see how it plays out.

I'd wager they won't rush him back. No need.

 

[Milo65]

Hope he has a speedy and successful recovery. I feel bad for the kid and also for the program.

 

[Giddyup5]

There are 2 main things that determine if a meniscus can be repaired: its location and the tear pattern. Peripheral tears of menisci have a better blood supply and therefore have the capacity to heal if sewn back together. Central tears do not and therefore need to be excised so they no longer cause you pain and mechanical symptoms. Blood supply matters because the tear needs to organically heal. Even the most robust repair will fail over time if the body does not heal causing the suture to break.

The tear pattern is also important. Imagine a simple tear in cloth--very easy to sew together. Now, imagine if there were multiple components of the tear with irregular edges--much harder. These components are all considered during the arthroscopy to determine if you are a candidate for repair.

Sounds like he had a tear amendable to a repair which is great for him in the long run. Maintaining your meniscus decreases the rate of developing osteoarthritis over time. The repair takes time to heal so you do not do any advanced physical therapy until about 6 weeks. Compare this to a meniscectomy (excision) where you can start aggressive PT immediately and it explains some of the difference in recovery time. The 4-6 month range is reasonable return to division 1 athletics.

Quick side note--not all meniscus tears need surgery. If you put 100 people without any knee pain over the age of 40 into a MRI scanner, approximately 40% would have a incidental tear of their meniscus. The meniscus degenerates over time any many times does not require surgery.

Also, there is no correlation that having a meniscus tear in one knee makes you prone to developing another one in your other knee. ACL tears on the other hand...different story.

Hope he has a quick and uneventful recovery!

 

[champs99and04]

Our front court will still be fine barring any more injuries, we just need guys like sid and polley to step up more in the weight room and add more physicality to their game

I guess it depends what you mean by "fine." The coaching change should do wonders for everybody, but the front court is still kind of...bad? I don't say that to denigrate any of the players as much as I do to remain realistic about what they're going to give us at this stage in their development. Carlon had a decent freshman year relative to where he was ranked, but most kids in his mold aren't real factors until year three. We don't know if Sid is going to give us anything at the four or if he'll even play at all there given his stature. Even if he does, it'll be his first time playing college ball. Kwintin and Yakwe are complete flyers. Cobb gave us nothing last year, and even if he has transformed his body, he's logged less than 300 total minutes of D-1 action.

At this point there is nothing at the four or five that has proven to be better than replacement level. Diarra is a top 150 kid entering his third year with the program who I looked at as the most ready to elevate his game. His profile is strikingly similar to Hassan Martin, who made a big jump in his second season under Hurley and developed into an all-conference caliber player.

All hope is not lost since it looks like he should be able to return at some point, but to me there was something distinctly promising about Diarra compared to our other front court prospects. Long, explosive, rangy...pretty much everything you want in a college big man (he does need to bulk up). Losing him for an extended period of time is a huge blow.