By Tom Hurley | @TomHurleyKernel

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Freshman center Nerlens Noel will not play again this season after MRI scans revealed a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, UK Athletics announced Wednesday.

Noel sustained the injury attempting to block a shot under the basket when hustling back in transition during Tuesday night’s 69-52 loss at Florida.

UK head coach John Calipari released a statement after learning the extent of Noel’s injury.

“I’ve been coaching for 22 years and this is the first injury we’ve had of this kind during the season, which makes it even more devastating,” Calipari said. “I met with Nerlens earlier today. The meeting was really positive, and I loved his attitude. The way he is already dealing with this injury lets me know that he is going to come back stronger than ever.

“The good news is he is insured, so he would have been fine even if the injury would have been worse. Obviously this is not a career-ending injury and it’s one that athletes bounce back from all the time.”

Noel is due to undergo surgery in the next two to three weeks.

Kevin Finn is the physical therapist for Irish soccer champions Sligo Rovers. Danny North, the team’s star player, suffered an ACL tear last July, and Finn has been guiding North through rehab since he had ACL reconstruction surgery in August.

“The ACL is located at the front of the knee and runs from the back of the femur (thigh bone) to the front of the tibia (shin bone) and connects the two together,” Finn said in an email to the Kernel. “Its main functions are to ensure the knee does not extend or straighten past its normal range of motion and to control pivoting movements.”

Finn said that it is not uncommon for athletes to sustain ACL tears in non-contact situations, such as pivoting, decelerating or landing from a jump, as Noel did when he was injured.

“When Noel blocked (Mike) Rosario’s shot he landed with his knee slightly bent but close to full extension and (his) left foot slightly turned out, perhaps planting it a bit firmer than usual to avoid the basket brace,” Finn said. “At this point the knee would have given way as the force of this, along with the forward movement, ruptured the ACL.”

When Calipari shook hands with Florida head coach Billy Donovan post game, he appeared to tell Donovan that Noel’s knee popped in and out again.

Finn said that an “audible pop” usually accompanies an ACL tear, along with the feeling of the knee moving out of place then back again.

ACL reconstruction surgery usually involves removing a piece of tendon from either just below the kneecap or from the hamstring to create a makeshift ACL which then holds the knee in place.

Recurrence is an issue with any injury and the ACL is no different. However, thanks to advances in medicine technology and a greater understanding of rehabilitation programs, an ACL tear is no longer a career-ending injury.

It may take a long rehab, but Noel is expected to make a full recovery.

“Each surgeon will have his or her own rehab protocol that they will discuss with the athlete and therapists. From there, certain outcome measures are put in place,” Finn said. “These are goals the athlete must reach before moving on to the next stage of rehab.

“An example of this would be for Noel to be fully weight bearing and eliminate swelling before moving on to single leg balance drills. Typically in the first few weeks post-surgery the athlete aims to get full range of movement back in the knee and do gentle supported strengthening exercises.”

Finn said that it could be three to six months before Noel is ready to resume light basketball activities and begin jumping and landing drills.

“From months six to 12 Noel should get back to full training … going from restricted training, to unrestricted training, then on to non-competitive matches and finally competitive matches,” he said.