UD Flyer facing 2 surgeries on hips
Flyers forward likely will have six-month recovery, coach says.
Sophomore forward Ryan Mikesell will need two operations — one in May, one in June — with an expected six-month recovery.
There’s no such thing as a quiet offseason for fans of the Dayton Flyers. The news just keeps coming, even if the season is months away.
Dayton Flyers coach Anthony Grant hinted last month in an interview with the Dayton Daily News that sophomore forward Ryan Mikesell may need a procedure this summer. On Wednesday, he revealed details about Mikesell’s injury.
The St. Henry High School grad- uate has an impingement in both hips, Grant said, and will need two surgeries. One surgery will take place later this month. The other will be done in mid-June.
“The recovery for that is approximately six months,” Grant said. “We’ll determine from there once we see how he progresses what the next step will be. I think it would be premature to say one way or the other in terms of his status for next season. That’s all we know right now.” Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco had the same injury two years ago in one hip. He was sidelined in May 2015 and didn’t play again until spring training the next season
Michigan basketball player Spike Albrecht had surgery on both hips for the same reason two years ago. He returned to play in eight games in the 201516 season but then decided to stop playing because he was experiencing so much pain. He ended up at Purdue as a grad transfer last season and averaged 12 minutes per game.
Grant said Mikesell battled hip pain throughout last season. Hip impingements cause stiffness in the groin and a loss of range of motion in the hips. Deformities in the ball at the top of the femur or in the socket can cause impingements.
Mikesell appeared in all 32 games and started 24. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
“I think he understands the importance of doing (the surgeries),” Grant said. “I don’t want to speak out of turn, but if he doesn’t do it, he could be looking at hip replacement in his mid-20s. Based on where he’s at, this is a necessary step.”
Dayton is also without sophomore forward Sam Miller for several months. He broke his foot April 1.
In other UD news, Dayton offered a scholarship to Tyler Maye, according to PhenomHoopsReport.com. Maye is a 6-foot-1 point guard from Farmville Central High School (N.C.). East Carolina and Nebraska are among the other schools to offer Maye scholarships.
Dayton has three scholarships open for 2017 after the signing of 6-7 forward Matej Svoboda of the Czech Republic on Monday.