Memphis Loses Forward To ACL Injury But Dont Count Them Out

On Friday, Memphis got some good news about its future -- and bad news about its immediate present.

Memphis, already down to nine scholarship players, saw that number dwindle to eight when coach Josh Pastner announced sophomore forward Angel Garcia had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the 2009-10 season.

The news came the same day that local high school prospect Joe Jackson announced he had verbally committed to Memphis for 2010-11.

Garcia, a 6-foot-11 forward and a native of Puerto Rico, was hurt during individual workouts on Thursday. He was expected to be a major contributor after missing last season because of NCAA eligibility issues.

Memphis already had lost forward Martin Ngaloro of France, who also tore his ACL and will remain in France this season.

Jackson, a 5-11 point guard at (Memphis) White Station High School, chose the Tigers over Kansas and Tennessee. He said he had known "since my ninth-grade year" that he wanted to stay home and play for the Tigers, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

"I wanted to stay in the city and be part of the Memphis tradition," he said, according to the report. "The fan base, they support the players from Memphis, and they're going to stick with you through the ups and downs, so that's why I really wanted to play for Memphis."

Jackson is slated to join shooting guard Will Barton, of Baltimore's Brewster Academy, at Memphis in 2010-11.

Barton is ranked fifth overall and the No. 1 shooting guard in Scouts Inc.'s ESPNU 100. Jackson is ranked 21st in the ESPNU 100 and is fifth among point guards.