Jacquil Taylor expects to be sidelined at least a month
Purdue will be without big man Jacquil Taylor for at least the next month, Taylor said, after a CT scan revealed an apparent stress fracture in the surgically repaired ankle that forced him to miss all of last season.
Taylor said Friday he will miss practice for the month while undergoing treatment in hopes of returning in early November in time for the Boilermakers' scrimmage against West Virginia.
A prior scan in July, Taylor said, "was fine." He then played — and played well — for Purdue in the World University Games, but just two days into official preseason practice, the issue was found. The fourth-year junior had been experiencing minimal pain, he said.
"My ankle hurt in Taipei every now and then," Taylor said. "Playing eight straight days, you're bound to (hurt) every now and then, but I never felt any particular (singular moment)."
Taylor has been pain-free enough to continue to play, but he said that trainers have told told him that if he did, "my ankle could just snap at any moment." It's hoped that rest and treatment will bring him to a point where he can resume.
"It's either miss a month or miss a year," Taylor said.
For Taylor, it's a setback prior to the season in which he hoped to put an extensive injury history behind him. He's missed all or most of three of the past five seasons due to significant injuries.
"I am frustrated," Taylor said. "But the doctors are being precautious and that shows they care and want me to have the best season I can. ... It's not really anyone's fault this happened. It's just unfortunate."
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