USC coach Andy Enfield dropped a bombshell at the end of his postgame news conference Wednesday night:
Not only will freshman point guard Jordan McLaughlin need season-ending shoulder surgery, he might require procedures on both shoulders.
McLaughlin needed surgery to repair a torn labrum after his senior season at Etiwanda High. He dislocated his right shoulder on Jan. 2 against Utah, then suffered a similar injury to his left shoulder against Oregon on Feb. 11.
Simply put, McLaughlin has a chronic issue with his shoulders popping out of their sockets. He needs to strengthen them to the point that there’s a minimal chance of that happening again.
Enfield gave a recovery timetable of 5-6 months, but it’s unclear whether that would be viable if McLaughlin needs two procedures. It also seems unlikely that he’d be able to have the surgeries concurrently.
This is obviously a huge blow for McLaughlin and the USC program. Despite a midseason slump – possibly related to the injury suffered against Utah – McLaughlin showed great promise, averaging 12.1 points and 4.5 assists. He was USC’s highest-rated recruit, and Enfield basically was building the team around him.
Now McLaughlin faces a long, difficult rehab. And USC might need to sign another point guard. Julian Jacobs is the only other scholarship point guard on the roster, and the Trojans’ two signees for 2015 – Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu – are forwards.
