University of Tennessee Athletics
Slay Out for the Season With Knee Injury
January 21, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2002
KNOXVILLE - An MRI performed today on the injured left knee of Tennessee forward Ron Slay revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will keep the junior out of action for the remainder of the 2001-02 season. Slay, a 6-foot-8 forward from Nashville, suffered the injury with 4:39 left in the first half of Tennessee's win over seventh-ranked Syracuse on Saturday. Surgery to correct the injury will be performed at a later date.
"The injury is an unfortunate situation," said UT head coach Buzz Peterson. "He's almost like the heart and soul of this team. Unfortunately things like this are going to happen during the course of the season. This just means that some of our younger players like Brandon Crump and Elgrace Wilborn are going to have to step it up. The key for Ron right now is for him to have his surgery and to get ready for his senior season."
Slay moved into a starting role this season after being considered one of the best sixth-men in the nation for his first two seasons at Tennessee. After overcoming an injury plagued start to the year, Slay ranks third on the team with 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 14 games.
