LSU men's basketball captain suffers season-ending injury

After a successful weekend in Destin where LSU went 2-0 with quality wins over Drake and DePaul, the Tigers returned to devastating news on one of its team captains.

LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon issued the following statement on redshirt junior forward Jalen Reed following his injury in the second half against Drake Friday in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida:

“Jalen Reed suffered a season-ending (left) Achilles tendon injury during last Friday night’s game versus Drake. He underwent successful surgery this morning in Baton Rouge. We are absolutely heartbroken and devastated for Jalen. His journey back to the court has been inspiring to everyone in our program.

“Jalen is a team captain and leader as well as a soon to be LSU Graduate. He represents everything that is great about college athletics. While I cannot convey the depth of my disappointment for Jalen, I remain in admiration of his spirit and mental toughness. We look forward to supporting him in his recovery and cannot wait to see him back on the basketball court.”

Reed had played an average of 18 minutes in the first six games of the season averaging 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest. He was 20-of-35 from the field (57.1 percent).

The Tigers will face Boston College on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. CT in the ACC/SEC Challenge here at the Conte Forum.

Reed had previously torn his ACL last season, nearly a year ago to the date and now has another lengthy injury that will sideline him for the year. McMahon had been emphatic that Reed’s work ethic and effort throughout the offseason was outstanding and he was one of the leaders on the team as he loved LSU. Now, the Tigers will have to workshop their frontcourt depth with a month left before SEC play begins.

*LSU press release