Michigan State senior guard Joshua Langford had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and will miss the entire 2019-20 season, coach Tom Izzo said on Thursday.
Langford, a Spartans captain, was limited to just 13 games last season because of a similar injury to his left foot that also required surgery. The team had hoped that Langford, who averaged 15 points per game last season, would be able to return in January. But Langford went to New York this week to see a specialist, Izzo said, and had the surgery on Tuesday.
With this season lost, Langford still has a year of eligibility, but Izzo did not sound like he expected Langford to return.
"Josh was hoping after this year to test his professional options both overseas, the G League and even in the NBA if he would have had a good season," Izzo told reporters in announcing the news. "I think that's still his hopes and dreams. We'll talk about any other options he has when the time comes.
"But for me right now, it saddens me a little bit even though I did not -- I was kind of honest with most of you that I did not think he would be back. That saddens me because the kind of kid he's been. He's just done everything we could ask of him. This kid means the world to me, and I think to our program, for what he stood for religiously, academically, athletically. He was the workhorse of our team. But now, I'm hoping to help him fulfill another dream and goal. That's where we're kind of at right now."