UCLA senior point guard Cedric Bozeman will miss the 2004-05
basketball season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his
right knee.
Bozeman suffered the injury during practice Thursday afternoon
when he stepped on a teammate’s ankle and fell to the floor
on his left ankle and right knee. While X-rays of his ankle were
negative, an MRI conducted on his right knee confirmed that Bozeman
tore his ACL.
The injury will require Bozeman to undergo surgery once the
swelling in his knee subsides. The recovery period for a torn knee
ligament is usually around eight months, meaning Bozeman will
likely be forced to sit out the entire season.
"I am saddened to report that Cedric Bozeman has a torn ACL,"
coach Ben Howland said. "During the summer, Ced worked as hard as
any player in our program to prepare for this year. His overall
game has greatly improved and he has been playing well since
practice started. Ced is such a great person, who has worked so
hard and prepared so well for this year. This is a very tough break
for Ced and a tough blow for our team."
The 6-foot-6 senior from Santa Ana (Mater Dei HS) enjoyed the
first injury-free season of his Bruin career last season. As a
junior co-captain last season, Bozeman was the only Bruin to start
in every game and led the Pac-10 in assists and UCLA in minutes. In
his first two years at UCLA, Bozeman missed eight and seven games
respectively due to injuries.
Compiled by Seth Fast Glass, Bruin sports senior
staff.