Stanford forward Chisom Okpara done for the season
On Wednesday, Stanford men’s basketball senior forward Chisom Okpara announced on social media that he is done for the season:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart… (Prov 3:5-6).
During our game against UVA on Jan 10th, I sustained a significant patellar tendon tear. I’m happy to report that surgery yesterday went smoothly, and I am focused on a full recovery.
I’m stepping away from the court for now to prioritize my health. While this isn’t how I envisioned the season playing out, I am eternally grateful to Coach Smith and the entire coaching staff for their mentorship over the last two seasons.
To my teammates, I’m rooting for you all the way to the top! Huge thanks to Dr. Marc Safran, the Stanford Medicine team, and my family for their unwavering support.
The future is bring. Glory to God!
Go Cardinal!
-Chisom Okpara
Stanford Men’s Basketball
For Okpara, this is obviously a major bummer. Nobody wants their senior season to end like this. He’s put a lot of work in and was hoping to finish his Stanford career on a high note. I wish him all the best as he goes about making a full recovery. I’m glad to hear the surgery went well.
As for Stanford, this hurts. Okpara is the number two scorer on the team, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 39.3% shooting from the field, 30.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.0% shooting from the foul line. Stanford is currently 14-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. They’re hoping to make a push for the NCAA tournament and losing Okpara doesn’t help them achieve that goal.
At this point, all that Stanford can do is wish Okpara well and invite him to come sit on the bench whenever he feels comfortable doing so. He’s obviously prioritizing his health at this point, so we’ll just have to see how often he’ll be at Maples to cheer on his teammates. Other guys are obviously going to have to step up. Senior guard Benny Gealer (10.1 points) will need to take on more of a scoring role as will graduate student guard Jeremy Dent-Smith (7.9 points), who scored 20 points against North Carolina and 18 points against Duke last week. And then of course, freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie (22.1 points) will likely need to have the ball in his hands even more often going forward.
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