http://www.sportstwo.com/Story/View/BKC/ALABAMA/6560</p> </p><h2>Alabama G Steele to have second knee surgery</h2> Wednesday, August 22, 2007 06:28 PM TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Ticker) -- Alabama point guard Ronald Steele will undergo more arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, the school announced on Wednesday. </p> The surgery will take place on Thursday at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, where Dr. Lyle Cain and Dr. James Andrews will perform the operation as a follow-up procedure to an earlier surgery in April. </p> On April 3, the senior guard had small cartilage defects repaired in both knees. </p> Steele, who saw his scoring average drop from 14.3 points to 8.6 between his sophomore and junior seasons, is expected to recover in time for the upcoming season. </p> "No. 1, my first concern is Ron Steele and my hope is that he will be 100 percent at some point in the near future," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. "It's disappointing yet at the same time encouraging that hopefully this will give him a conclusion to this process." </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p><h1 class="storyTitle">Alabama PG Steele to take medical redshirt this season</h1> </p> TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama point guard Ron Steele's comeback from offseason surgery on both knees will wait another year.</p> Steele said Monday he will take a medical redshirt for what would have been his senior season, but that doctors assured him he would be able to play again.</p> "I am someone who tries to approach whatever I do with my best effort, and I know my body," he said in a statement. "At this point in time, I don't believe I will be 100 percent by the start of practice.</p> "This is something I've put a lot of thought and prayer into. I want to play my best and play an entire season and know I've done everything I can on the court to help Alabama win."</p> He had arthroscopic surgeries in April and a follow-up procedure on his left knee in August. The injuries severely limited his production last season and forced him to miss the last few games.</p> With Steele ailing, the Tide failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years and ranked next-to-last in the Southeastern Conference in steals, turnover margin and assist-to-turnover margin.</p> Steele has been limited in practice and didn't play in the Tide's exhibition games in Canada over the summer.</p> "The doctors have told me my future for playing is good, but right now the timing for me to heal and be back in shape like I need to be to play on the level we play isn't on my side," Steele said.</div></p> Source: ESPN.com</p> </p>
Yeah, it's a shame he's hurt given the pro potential he had early on in his career,andhis injury will probably keep the Tide out of the tournament this season, but on the bright side, they only lose Mykal Riley this summer now. A year from now, the Tide could be an SEC title contender with a starting line of Steele/Hollinger/Gee/Jemison/Hendrix.</p> </p>
