SEATTLE — What was expected to be a pretty deep University of Washington men’s basketball team is already having to dig into its wealth of bodies this preseason.
On Thursday, the team announced that star freshman Tony Wroten Jr., one of two point guards battling for significant playing time, has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and will miss some of the preseason practices. But Wroten and coach Lorenzo Romar said in a statement released through the school that he probably won’t miss any game time.
“Tony could have probably gone the whole season with a little discomfort at times and played through this,” Romar said in a statement. “But he and his family, plus our staff, thought it would be better to take care of this now so he would be fine for the rest of the year.
“It has been nagging him a little bit, but he’ll be ready to go in no time soon.”
Wroten is the cornerstone of a freshman class that is expected to be a big part of the Huskies’ success this season. The youngsters’ roles became more important after senior-to-be Isaiah Thomas left early for the NBA and senior Scott Suggs suffered a foot injury last week that will keep him out for an estimated eight weeks.
Junior Abdul Gaddy is slated to start at point guard for UW, but the Huskies planned to use him alongside Wroten at times this season. It was possible that the pair could have both been in the starting lineup together.
Wroten is a 6-foot-5 freshman from Seattle’s Garfield High School, where he became a local legend as a high-scoring freshman. He was considered by some to be the best ninth-grader in the nation and was the most sought-after recruit in the state among players in the Class of 2011.
The injury leaves UW with just one true point guard behind Gaddy. Freshman Andrew Andrews is expected to redshirt this season, but his role in practices will probably be greater now that Wroten is sidelined. Sophomore C.J. Wilcox has limited ability at the point but should see practice time there as well.
Without Wroten and Suggs, the Huskies have just 11 healthy scholarship players.
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