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Illinois Senior Jake Davis Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
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- Illinois Senior Jake Davis Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
The Illinois men's basketball team lost one of their key cogs just minutes into the season when senior Jake Davis collided hard with a screen and left the game against Farleigh Dickinson.
The reaction postgame from head coach Brad Underwood did not inspire much hope about the situation, as he was unable to provide an immediate update but said it "doesn't sound great." Further speculation was traced to Davis, who was seemingly captured telling the Illinois bench "it's out" while holding his shoulder on the way to the locker room.
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The obvious fears about the injury were confirmed on Wednesday when underwood announced that Davis had undergone surgery a separation of his left shoulder, putting him out indefinitely.
Jake Davis Out Indefinitely Following Shoulder Surgery
"It's a loss that's hard for me to swallow," Underwood said. "It puts a pit in my stomach. He's a guy that works harder than anybody every day and got himself in elite shape. Unfortunately, it's part of sports. Next man up. We've got an army of guys that will have to fill into that role. We'll wish him the best, and we'll put a different hat on him when he comes back with coaching and having to lead from a little different perspective than being on the court."
Davis was injured with 11:05 left in the first half of the season-opener and did not return to the game. Freshman Zavier Zens came on to replace him in the second half starting lineup.
Illinois Fighting Illini forward Jake Davis (15) drives past Indiana Hoosiers guard Lamar Wilkerson (3).
Underwood did not have any additional information about a timeline for return. He refused to say one way or another on if it will be a season-ending surgery.
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"I'm preparing for him to be back and I'm preparing for him not to be back," Underwood said. "I have no idea. He's still in surgery. He's a tough, tough hombre, and he'll do everything in his power to try to want to come back and be back. We just have to wait and see how everything responds every week forward. He's got a lot of recovery in front of him and we'll assess how that plays out."
The news is a brutal blow for an Illinois team that leaned on Davis down the stretch last season as an everyday starter. A typical recovery can be anywhere from four to six months, and the surgery could certainly rule him out for the rest of the year.
Underwood called Davis a "championship-level role player" just a few weeks ago and the loss of his senior leadership will be new hole for the Fighting Illini to fill. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists on 43% from the field and 41% from three last season, making 22 starts including the final 19 games of the year.
