Missing 44 consecutive games due to injury had to be tough for Florida center John Egbunu.
But for them be the final 44 games of his collegiate basketball career? Now that’s brutal.
The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center tore his ACL on Feb. 14, 2017, in a 19-point victory over Auburn two seasons ago. It forced him to miss the remaining 10 contests of his redshirt junior campaign. He then missed every second of what would have been his redshirt senior year in 2017-18.
It reminded me of the time I hurt my own knee two summers ago.
I was involved in a knee-to-knee collision with an opponent — whose name, out of pure coincidence, happened to be Michael Jordan — during a game of pickup basketball.
I half-walked, half-dragged my right leg off the court, hoping some ice and rest would have me up and at ‘em soon. I mean, when this had happened to me before, the soreness only lasted for a few days.
However, in this particular instance, it stuck around for an entire month.
I hated it.
I limped around everywhere, unable to hoop at the local park I frequented. I was as frustrated mentally as I was physically.
But when Egbunu announced earlier this week that he isn’t going to petition for a sixth year of NCAA eligibility and will instead pursue a pro career, I was hit with some fresh perspective.
I had it so easy with that mere month of recovery.
“You know, I’ve had my knee drained like probably five times,” Egbunu said on March 2. “I’ve had cortisone shots put in my knees. I just had a procedure done the other day. I had to get a second opinion on it, because we’re not really getting anywhere.”
That sounds horrible.
All of that, and he still didn’t get to play.
I can’t imagine the frustration of sitting out that long, dealing with the pain and setbacks of the recovery process, unable to step on the court while watching my teammates pick up the slack I once held myself.
Egbunu isn’t the only Florida athlete who recently missed the final year of his collegiate career due to injury either.
Former Gators safety Marcell Harris suffered a torn Achilles tendon in July, just one season after he led UF’s football team with 73 tackles.
He missed all 11 games of 2017 in what would have been his redshirt senior campaign. Now, like Egbunu, he’s got his eyes set on the professional ranks.
While it was difficult for Harris to sit out and recover from his season-ending Achilles tear, he said he tried to keep a positive mindset.
“You can’t really look back,” Harris said at Florida’s pro day on Wednesday. “Maybe me sitting out was probably for the best of things. You never know.”
In the midst of uncertainty regarding his physical health and professional career, Haris found a way to look on the brightside.
He, Egbunu and all athletes who have suffered major, career-altering injuries deserve credit for sticking to the arduous path of reclaiming the player they once were.
Andrew Huang is a sports writer. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Center John Egbunu did not play a single minute for the Gators in 2017-18.
