Anthony Harris Out For Season With Torn ACL

Harris suffered a torn ACL for the second time in just over a year.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams confirmed on Friday morning that guard Anthony Harris will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

“This is one of the most heartbreaking injuries one of my teams has ever dealt with,” Williams said in a statement. “Anthony is such a great kid and his teammates and coaches have all seen the countless hours he put in to come back from the knee injury he suffered in high school. The impact on our locker room after the Yale game was devastating. Everyone associated with our program hurts for Anthony and his family. But we will rally around him and support him every step of the way. I know he will work unbelievably hard to get back on the floor.”

Harris, a freshman from Woodbridge, Va., averaged 6.8 points in 12 minutes over five games since he made his Carolina debut at Virginia on Dec. 8.

He suffered the injury in Monday night’s victory over Yale on a drive to the basket late in the game, when his right knee buckled. He instantly dropped to the floor, holding his knee before being attended to by trainer Doug Halverson and Williams.

Afterward, teammates were emotional as they discussed the possibility of Harris suffering another serious knee injury just one year after he tore the ACL in his left knee, forcing him to miss most of his senior season at Paul VI Catholic High School.

Jeremiah Francis, who spent months doing rehab work with Harris as the two recovered from knee injuries, fought back tears several times as he talked about his teammate.

“That’s my brother, and I hope everything is good,” Francis said. “Y’all don’t know what we’ve been through to get here, waking up at 6 a.m., lifts, trying to get everything healthy. I love him and I just wish (him) the best.”

After scoring a total of six points over his first two games, Harris has helped provide a spark for the Tar Heels off the bench, averaging 9.3 points over the past three games, including 14 points in the Dec. 21 win over UCLA.

His loss is another blow to a Carolina team that has already seen Cole Anthony, Leaky Black, Andrew Platek and Brandon Robinson miss games due to injury this season.

Anthony is projected to miss another two weeks as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery while Platek sat out Monday’s game with a sprained ankle.