UCLA basketball: Keefe didn’t want to risk further damage
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The pain in his left shoulder and the possibility of further damage led UCLA senior forward James Keefe to put an end to his collegiate career. Keefe dislocated his shoulder for a third time this season last Friday. He had hoped to return this season, but with “the pain the same today as it was five days ago,” he opted for surgery. Keefe will meet with the surgeon Monday.
“It was not showing any improvement,” Keefe said prior to the Washington State game Thursday. “The movement is really restrictive and sometimes it locks up.”
Keefe also said that “the doctor said every time it pops out there is a chance it could do damage to the joint.”
Keefe is averaging 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds this season. More important, he was eating up 16 minutes per game for a UCLA team thin along the front line.
Freshman Brendan Lane will start in Keefe’s place against Washington State, as he did against USC.
“These final games are important to me,” Keefe said. “But even if this was a Final Four game, I couldn’t go out there with one hand. It was best to start the rehab on my shoulder.”
Keefe had surgery to repair a labrum in his left shoulder in 2007, but said that injury was different. He dislocated the shoulder prior to the season and again in late December, missing three games.
“The doctor said the first time loosened things up,” said Keefe, who hopes to continue with his basketball career after UCLA.
-- Chris Foster
Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes