Georgia basketball loses starter Jailyn Ingram to torn ACL, plans to apply for waiver

A shaken Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean had a hard time getting through his postgame radio show Tuesday night following a 69-58 win over Jacksonville.

The worst fears it turned out about starting forward Jailyn Ingram's right knee injury were confirmed by an MRI.

Ingram is lost for the season with a torn ACL, Crean tweeted Thursday morning. He will undergo surgery.

"It’s heartbreaking because Jailyn has been emerging in so many areas and has been a model of consistency day in and day out," Crean tweeted. "He’s an incredible young Man. We will help him in every way."

The injury occurred in the second half of the game. The Morgan County High product transferred this offseason close to his Madison home to play for Georgia. His mother was at the game.

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Crean said that Georgia plans to appeal for a waiver to get another season of eligibility since he hasn't played in 30 percent of the games. Ingram has played and started in all nine Georgia games. Georgia still has 22 more regular season games to go.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Ingram led Georgia with 12 points when he went down with 14:21 to go in the game after Jaxon Etter tried to feed him in transition under the basket.

Crean came over with trainer Lance Schuemann to attend to Ingram while he was down. He was helped off and went to the locker room.

“Everyone responded when he went down,” Etter said. “It didn’t look good. Those non-contact injuries never look good. We’ve got a big hole to fill. My thoughts and prayers are with him.”

The Bulldogs led 39-27 at the time of the injury.

“Man, that’s really tough,” said Jabri Abdur-Rahim, a Virginia transfer who had 10 points. “You never want to see that happen to one of your brothers.”

“I thought our guys, there’s no question they were distracted. I was distracted,” an emotional Crean said. “Our guys persevered without one of their teammates.”

Ingram was playing in his 131st career game, 113th as a starter.

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He averaged 18.9 points per game in the 2018-19 season at Florida Atlantic before tearing an ACL and averaged 12.4 points and 6 rebounds per game there last season.

At Georgia, he led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game entering Tuesday and was fourth on the team at 10.5 points per game. Crean said he thought he had a chance to become an All-SEC defensive type player.

“This dude is one of the most respected human beings I’ve ever met, ever been around,” Etter said. “A walking leader, a guy you looked up to."

Georgia, which got 14 points from center Braelen Bridges, improved to 4-5 with the win.

A team that includes 10 newcomers after a slew of transfers in the offseason was picked to finish last in the SEC and now could be without two of its most experienced players it was counting on this season.

It lost P.J. Horne, its only returning starter, in the preseason to a season-ending knee injury.

Ingram's injury came on a night where Georgia recognized Crean’s 400th career win notched last week with a victory over Memphis. Video messages from his former players that included Dwyane Wade, Victor Oladipo, Nic Claxton and Anthony Edwards was shown.

Crean and the current players were thinking about Ingram after this one.

“Players are resilient, sometimes they’re more resilient than the coach,” Crean said.

Georgia’s next game isn’t until Dec. 18 against George Mason so it will have time to regroup if Ingram's injury is as bad as feared.

“We’re just going to pray for him,” Crean said. “I ask if you so choose, you do it for him. Just pray that it’s OK. If it’s not, God’s will be done.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia basketball's Jailyn Ingram out for season with torn ACL