UW's Wallace faces surgery on torn ACL

Junior forward Artem Wallace has a torn anterior cruciate ligament and bone contusions in his right knee, University of Washington officials said Monday, and will undergo surgery on April 8.

Wallace, a 6-foot-8 junior, suffered the injury in the opening minutes of the Huskies' season-ending loss to Valparaiso in the College Basketball Invitational at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on Wednesday.

Coach Lorenzo Romar said he's hopeful Wallace will be able to recover in time to play next season, though it seems unlikely he'll be full strength when practice begins in mid-October.

A UW spokesman said the training staff lists a normal recovery time of 6-9 months for such surgeries. The Huskies will begin official practices just more than six months after Wallace's surgery and nonconference games begin a month later.

"It's never timely when this kind of thing happens," Romar said. "But we have the spring and summer to rehab. We're optimistic that he'll be able to play next year. He's got to be able to come back full strength though, so we'll see."

Wallace started 25 games for Washington this season, averaging 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds. While he wasn't a statistical force for the Huskies, he did develop into a solid post defender and played an increasing role throughout the season.

Wallace had a season-best 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 79-75 loss to California on Feb. 2 and came back with an 11-point, nine-rebound game against the Bears in the Pac-10 tournament.

"He was our best post defender," Romar said. "He usually guarded the opposing team's best inside player. That's no easy thing, especially in this league."

The Huskies have some depth in the interior, with all six forwards and centers expected to return next season, along with 6-8 redshirt freshman Darnell Gant and incoming recruit Tyreese Breshers, a 6-7, 260-pounder out of Los Angeles.