Mizzou AD Jim Sterk: Tigers were ‘blindsided’ by Michael Porter Jr.’s back injury
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Missouri Tigers watched as star freshman Michael Porter Jr. racked up two quick points in his debut against Iowa State this season.
However, their excitement was short-lived, as Porter then went down with a back injury that caused him to miss the entire rest of the regular season.
This week, Mizzou AD Jim Sterk said he was “blindsided” by Porter’s injury, especially since it was something that could have been caught earlier (via STLToday.com):
“It was disappointing to hear,” Sterk said. “Surprise was the biggest thing. No one really knew anything like that (except for) probably the trainers (with whom) he was doing physical therapy. But other than that I don’t think there was any (warning) as far as all of us. We were like you (in the media). We were kind of blindsided by it.”
Porter had surgery shortly after having the injury and wasn’t able to return until the SEC Tournament, playing in Mizzou’s loss to Georgia. He also played in the Tigers’ loss to Florida State in the NCAA Tournament.
Porter recently declared for the NBA Draft, so his time in Columbia has come to an end. His injury-shortened Mizzou career will always be one of the greatest “what-ifs” in program history.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
