Gators center Young had minor ankle surgery

Florida Gators center Patric Young, who announced just over one week ago that he would return to the team for his senior season, underwent minor surgery on Friday to remove a bone spur from his right ankle.

Young has been seen on crutches and wearing a boot; he has even been tweeting about his ailment without providing specifics. The Independent Florida Alligator‘s Landon Watnick, on Tuesday, received official confirmation from the University Athletic Association that the surgery had taken place.

“Everything went great thanks for the prayers,” Young tweeted on Friday, likely after the surgery had been completed. “Not exactly my ideal Saturday,” he wrote a day later. “Home alone and bed ridden.”

Bone spurs can develop in the ankle due to extensive pressure or stress on the joint.

After spending his first year with the Gators as a reserve, Young has served as Florida’s starting center over the last two seasons, averaging 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game in each campaign. Head coach Billy Donovan has chided Young for his inconsistency on occasion in order to get the absolute most out of him on a game-to-game basis. Nevertheless, the two have a great player-coach relationship.

It will likely take at least six weeks for Young to fully recover from the surgery, putting him on track to return to the court in June.

A new NCAA rule instituted prior to the 2012-13 season allows college players to practice with their coaches for up to two hours per day (at a maximum of eight hours per week) during the summer months.

Donovan will be recruiting for the Gators until mid-June, when he will join USA Basketball’s under-19 team in Colorado Springs, CO to train for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship set for June 17-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Florida’s assistant coaches will be in Gainesville, FL working with the team when they are not participating in the three four-day July evaluation periods.

Photo Credit: David J. Phillip/Associated Press