Stretchered off in their 80-63 loss to No. 16 Purdue, fifth-year senior guard Eron Harris will have season-ending surgery on his right knee, according to a press release.
After the game on Saturday, Harris returned home with the team and underwent an MRI for further diagnostic tests. It was deemed further surgery was needed to help repair the damage.
Head coach Tom Izzo released a statement on his guard:
“We all feel absolutely awful for Eron. As I said last night, I couldn’t ask for more than what Eron has given me and this program. Over the last month he’s grown even more as a leader and been an example to his young teammates. And maybe I didn’t even fully grasp it until I walked on the court and saw the admiration his teammates had for him and the tears in their eyes. There’s no faking the respect they have for Eron as a man, as a player, and most importantly a teammate.
"It’s cruel to see a senior’s career end this way. If there is a silver lining, it’s that we expect Eron to be able to make a full recovery and pursue a basketball career after graduation. He’s always worked for everything he’s accomplished on the court, and that same passion and mindset will serve him well in his recovery. Basketball is important to all players, but for Eron it was a way of life. Very few have spent more time in this facility or worked harder than Eron has. That’s why I’m confident his best basketball is still in front of him.”
Harris ends his basketball career with 1,489 points. For his first two years of college basketball, Harris played at West Virginia University before transferring to MSU.
In his final season as a Spartan, Harris averaged 10.7 points per game. Out of his 62 career games in a MSU uniform, Harris started 46 of them.
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