The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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38 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2023 W hat appeared bad was confirmed to be just that after Michigan basketball grad student Jaelin Llewellyn went down with a non-contact left knee injury during Michigan's 73-69 loss to Kentucky Dec. 4 in London. Head coach Juwan Howard said post- game that they'd wait to get an evalua- tion from doctors in Ann Arbor before commenting. Upon their return, it was diagnosed as a torn ACL that will side- line the Princeton grad transfer for the season. "We are devastated for Jaelin," How- ard said "He worked so hard after join- ing us this summer and was making that next step in leading this team. His ma- turity and work ethic has already made a mark on our program and culture. "Knowing him, this setback will only serve as an opportunity to grow as a person and player … but more impor- tantly, offer himself a chance to help this program in any way he can. I admire that." Freshman Dug McDaniel took over point guard duties and notched 15 points and 7 assists in the Wolverines' 90-75 win at Minnesota Dec. 8, dedicating the game to his teammate. Llewellyn, meanwhile, said he'd do anything he could to provide leadership or guidance to McDaniel and others. "I'm doing well — just taking every day as it is and trying to get some strength going in my quads before surgery," Llewellyn said in a Dec. 13 Zoom call with reporters. "I'm just going to practices and being as supportive as I can. "[The days since] have been all right — not too good, not too bad. I'm just trying to get through the beginning stages. My teammates have been great support for me, and a lot of people have reached out and wished me well. It's just the beginning of it, but I'm hopeful to keep working throughout this rehab process." Llewellyn said he felt his knee pop on a possession late in the shot clock dur- ing U-M's loss to the Wildcats. He went to pull up for a shot and "knew right then" it was probably a torn ACL. Shock was the initial reaction, along with pain. He immediately started to think about his future and the possibil- ity of missing the season. "It was definitely challenging be- cause it's not what I wanted from this year, and I wanted to be able to play the rest of the season with these guys," Llewellyn said. "But I've been in a long rehab situation before, so I'll be able to bounce back. That first time, I tore my Achilles and then it was the middle of a pandemic. "It was challenging. I was working full-time and doing school online. I got through that, and I think this is another opportunity to go through something similar but with less going on. So … it's an opportunity for me to learn from that first experience and take the good from it and try and improve on the bad days, as well." Llewellyn plans to be the "team's big- gest supporter" while he's out, doing whatever's asked of him. As for his fu- ture — he's not sure if he'll be back next season or not. He still has one more year of eligibility. "I'm not really sure yet," he said. "I'm still taking things day by day, because I've got a long road ahead of me and I don't want to get too far ahead." Llewellyn averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 re- bounds, and 2.8 assists in 8 games with the Wolverines this year. — Chris Balas MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Jaelin Llewellyn's Future Uncertain After Season-Ending ACL Injury At the time of his injury, Llewellyn had started the first eight games of the season and was averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL