Dayton’s Mikesell won’t play in 2017-18 season

Junior forward will receive medical redshirt after offseason surgeries

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer

Dayton Flyers fans won’t have to debate all offseason whether junior forward Ryan Mikesell will play in the 2017-18 season.

UD took away the guessing game by announcing Wednesday, months earlier than expected, that Mikesell will not play next season. He will receive a medical redshirt after undergoing surgeries in May and June to correct impingements in both hips. He will have two years of eligibility remaining when he returns to the court for the 2018-19 season.

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Coach Anthony Grant had said UD would wait to see how Mikesell’s rehabilitation efforts went before deciding if he would play this season. The earliest he could have returned was mid-December.

That thinking changed after Mikesell’s latest visit to the doctor.

“This is in the best interests of Ryan’s health, both short-term and long-term,” Grant said in a press release. “By all accounts, Ryan’s two surgeries were a success. But after a follow-up visit with his physician, it is clear that the proper course of action is to redshirt this season to allow him to fully recover.”

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The St. Henry grad Mikesell underwent the first surgery May 15 on his right hip. He had the second surgery on his left hip on June 16.

Last season, Mikesell appeared in all 32 games and started 24. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

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“I’d rather be on the court, so in that sense this is kind of a disappointment,” Mikesell said in a press release. “But it’s also a relief to know that the surgeries were successful and that we have a plan for me to be at my best when I do return. I just have to do what the doctors and (UD trainer Mike Mulcahey) tell me to do.”

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Mulcahey said the rehab would have lasted six months but it wasn’t just a matter of Mikesell being cleared to play.

“As he recovers, he will need to retrain his body in the best ways to move with his increased strength and range of motion,” Mulcahey said. “Big picture, it’s not something that can be rushed and certainly not something to take shortcuts on.”

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