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Missouri student, Jontay Porter, will miss the entire upcoming season after getting ripped off his ACL and MCL Sunday, the school announced.
Porter was injured during a close encounter against southern Illinois.
He is the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr., the former rookie who missed most of his only season in Missouri last year, before being entered in the first round of the NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets in June.
Jontay Porter, a 6-foot-11 striker, averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks last season and is expected to see an increase in production in 2018-19. He was named preseason of the second 100% SEC team last week.
Porter tested the waters of the NBA last spring, but decided to return to the Tigers for his second season, although he is projected as the first-round end choice in several simulated events.
Jonathan Givony (ESPN) said Porter was the # 13 choice at his 2019 simulated selection session in August.
Jontay finished high school a year earlier to play with Michael, but his brother played only three games last season and had a back surgery in November.
Knee problems have been a problem for Porter's siblings in recent years. Bri Porter, a sister of Jontay and Michael, retired before last season in Missouri after suffering her fifth ACL tear. Cierra, another sister who went to Missouri, retired for health reasons in June – she had one year of eligibility – because of persistent knee problems.
Last month, Missouri announced that guard Cullen VanLeer would retire after having torn the LCA at the right knee in the last game of the Tigers regular season last season.
When a reporter informed Kentucky coach John Calipari of Porter's injury after his team's intrasquad match on Sunday, he dropped his head and shook his head.
Calipari then recounted the story of Nerlens Noel, the former Kentucky champion, who had torn his ACL during the 2012-2013 season. He added that Noel had been crying uncontrollably when he had caught her in the team 's plane after being injured during a match. against Florida.
After Noel's injury, the Wildcats stumbled and lost in the NIT that year.
"I went there," Calipari said of Porter's injury. "Thoughts and prayers are going to him and his family, it's awful."
Myron Medcalf information from ESPN has been used in this report.
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