Halfway through his summer, ASU basketball forward Serge Angounou wanted to be banging under the boards and fighting for loose balls. However, last Tuesday, he was under the knife instead.
Angounou, the highly touted recruit from New Mexico who missed all of last season, had arthroscopic surgery to clean up his right knee and remove scar tissue. Last November, Angounou injured the knee in the second half of an exhibition game against the EA Sports All-Stars. His initial surgery repaired cartilage and removed bone chips from behind the kneecap.
"We'll just take it little by little and get him back strong," head coach Rob Evans said. "We don't want to be in a hurry.
Even though Angounou played less than one full game, his 11 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes against the EA Sports All-Stars showed a glimpse of the potential he has.
Evans said that a lot of Angounou's recovery will be mental since he had previously never suffered a major injury.
"We want to make sure the health of his leg and muscles are strong enough to hold his 240 pounds," Evans added.
Angounou was slated to be one of the key members of last year's recruiting class, along with Ike Diogu and junior college transfer Jamal Hill. He would have battled Hill and senior Donnell Knight for the starting small forward spot before the injury.
Angounou, a native of Cameroon, played at Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque and was the Gatorade New Mexico Player of the Year in 2002. He averaged 22 points and 14 rebounds per game.
No timetable has been set for a return, but Evans was cautiously optimistic that Angounou would be able to play in the first game of the season, another exhibition against the EA Sports All-Stars on November 12.
"Hopefully he'll be ready to go."
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
