EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State guard Joshua Langford will miss the rest of the season because of his injured ankle.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo said in a statement Wednesday that the junior will likely need surgery. Langford has missed the last eight games. In the 13 games he did play — all starts — Langford averaged 15 points.
"Josh has a stress injury that we caught fairly early and we had hoped that, with treatment and rest, he would recover," Izzo said. "He has not."
No. 6 Michigan State had its 13-game winning streak snapped with a loss at Purdue on Sunday.
The Spartans host Indiana on Saturday.
The loss of Langford takes away Michigan State's No. 3 scorer behind Cassius Winston and Nick Ward.
"We hate this for Josh and our team, as he was one of our leading scorers, one of our top 3-point shooters and one of our two best defensive guards," Izzo said. "But our commitment to Josh and his long-term health is paramount. Josh has seen the best specialist in the country on this issue and we are putting together a plan for his complete recovery for the 2019-20 season."
Izzo said Langford has done everything asked of him through the process.
"His selfless attitude is the reason there were tears throughout the meeting room when we shared the news with his team," Izzo said. "I've never felt worse for a player than I do for Josh, but he's a very religious kid who believes everything happens for a reason. He's constantly telling me to not worry about him, but focus on the team. It's the reason I have so much respect and admiration for the way he's handled the injury."
