The Arizona Wildcats Basketball preseason is officially underway, and it started with the wrong kind of bang. It’s not the end of the world, but the Wildcats lost one of their star freshman for the season.
Arizona football Homecoming weekend was not the best weekend for the Wildcats and Arizona Athletics as a whole. Arizona’s football team lost to Washington State in a close game, and Mitch Lightfoot committed to Kansas, but there was more. The bad news started on Friday.
Ray Smith has torn his ACL in his right leg in early season practice. He will be out for his entire freshman season. It’s hard to imagine how much he would have loved to be wearing the Red and Blue this season and finally playing basketball again. Smith had fully recovered from tearing his ACL on his left leg during his senior year in high school.
Ray is already a fan favorite; he has shown that he can recover from injury and keep a positive mental attitude, and that’s going to help him over the next hurdle. Bruce Pascoe, Tucson.com, reported that Smith will undergo surgery in the next few weeks and that this injury was not necessarily unusual, yet Smith fell into the one out of ten group for having this happen to his other leg.
"It was not unusual. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons website, 10.5 percent of male athletes suffer an opposite leg injury within 24 months of an ACL reconstruction."
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Although there are still plenty of practices and scrimmages to go and the team has gotten a little thinner, don’t think that there will be a lack of competition for positions. Ray will still be there to support the team, and the team will both rally around Ray and pull together.
Smith was thought to be fighting for a starting job with the exit of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, who both were drafted into the NBA in the first round. Thankfully the Wildcats did add Mark Tollefsen and transfer Ryan Anderson.
RELATED STORY –> Ryan Anderson is Ready to Rock McKale
Smith is a 6 foot 8 inch 210-pound five-star recruit out of Las Vegas and the No. 29-ranked recruit in the 2015 class. Head coach Sean Miller said in his statement, “Ray Smith is one of the most talented young players that has ever entered our program.”
.@UACoachMiller's Statement on Ray Smith: pic.twitter.com/wjzQyWth12
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 24, 2015
#2 Ray Smith #APlayersProgram pic.twitter.com/S2QGXz3d4T
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) September 18, 2015
Smith received Twitter love and support from fellow freshmen Allonzo Trier and Justin Simon.
My thoughts and prayers with my brother @raysmith2297 right now. You'll be back better and stronger than ever. #AllLove
— Allonzo Trier (@ISO_ZO) October 24, 2015
Prayers go out to my brother @raysmith2297 for a speedy recovery!! I know you'll bounce back even harder! Love you fam
— Justin Simon✨ (@simon_Says_so) October 24, 2015
Although it’s only the start of the season, this is not the best news going into the early part of a season. We can’t wait to have Smith back and better the ever!
Awesome look to the new @AZATHLETICS @APlayersProgram poster! RETWEET this if you are a fan of the Wildcats! pic.twitter.com/rNIpOlM00a
— Poster Swag (@PosterSwag) October 23, 2015
The Wildcats officially begin their season against Pacific on November 13th. We can’t wait for the feel of McKale Center and another great season for Wildcats Basketball.
So BEARDOWN and get ready we are less than three weeks away from tip-off!