Carl English to undergo surgery on thumb, sidelined indefinitely
English tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb Feb. 7
St. John's Edge guard Carl English will spend at least the next few weeks watching his team from the bench due to a busted up left hand that requires surgery.
A miscue during a game in Prince Edward Island left the pride of Patrick's Cove with a ulnar collateral ligament tear — in the spot where the thumb meets the hand.
"It's tough to deal with especially at this stage of my career," said English. "The ligaments are busted and I need a surgical procedure to fix it."
The good news for Edge fans is that the injury happened to his non-shooting hand and the reigning National Basketball League of Canada most-valuable player, who turned 38 earlier this month, will be heading to the hospital Friday to get it fixed.
English said he can only speculate on how long he will be sidelined, estimating his recovery to take around six to eight weeks. If the that is indeed the timeline, English could be back in time for playoffs.
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The veteran pro is no stranger to injury or going under the surgical knife, having had work done on his shooting hand, both elbows, shoulder and his ankles twice.
"This will be surgery number eight for me," said English.
"I feel I'm healthy going in and I'll continue to eat healthy, train and do the things that I've normally done for a speedy recovery."
The St. John's Edge boast 15 wins and 11 losses this season with English averaging 14.5 points per game.
It won't be easy for him to be forced to sit and watch from the bench.
"That's always been the hardest part," English said. "It'll be difficult to sit there and watch, but I'll still be engaged."
The Edge are back at Mile One Centre on Friday for a game against the Windsor Express.