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Jaylen Fisher has had a run of bad luck on the injury front, as a left wrist injury cost him most of TCU’s NIT run a season ago, and now he finds himself sidelined again after tearing the meniscus in his left knee Thursday.
TCU’s Jaylen Fisher has suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. Surgery next week. So he will not accompany TCU on its trip to Australia.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) August 5, 2017
With TCU headed Down Under today, it was announced that the Frogs’ sophomore point guard would not be making the trip after injuring his knee in practice Thursday afternoon. The Frogs, which were granted the summer sessions as part of the warmup for five games in Australia, now find themselves without their presumed starter for several weeks.
Depending on which route Fisher elects to go with in surgery, recovery can take anywhere from 6-12 weeks. With the Frogs opening their season 97 days from now, he could be back well in time for opening night. But knee injuries can be fickle, and Jamie Dixon’s job is to make sure his young star is ready for Big 12 play and a postseason run.
Fisher averaged 9.9 points per game in 34 starts as a true freshman, dishing out 140 assists and shooting 39% from three. Those stats were good enough to earn him an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention nod, and most national writers consider him primed for a breakout season in 2017-2018. Fisher, along with junior Alex Robinson and sophomore Desmond Bane, form one of the most versatile and dangerous backcourts in the Big 12, and will be counted on to help lead TCU back to March Madness for the first time in 20 years this spring. Fish was, by all accounts, having an exceptional off-season preparing for his second year with TCU, and though the setback is disappointing, hopefully it won’t delay him from reaching his considerable promise in the coming year. You can hear from Fisher, and the other members of the TCU team and coaching staffs, in our Australia preview here.
The silver lining in this development is that true freshman RJ Nembhard, a four star recruit, and junior transfer Shawn Olden, will get plenty of reps as they try to earn minutes in the rotation for the coming season. The experience will certainly benefit them and Jamie Dixon.
In the meantime, we wish Fish all the best as he deals with surgery and recovery. Here’s hoping he won’t be sidelined for long. Get well soon, Jaylen!