Breaking: Michigan State guard Joshua Langford out for remainder of season

Well, our fears have been confirmed. Michigan State Spartans junior shooting guard Joshua Langford will miss the remainder of the 2018-2019 men’s basketball season.

The ankle injury that has ailed Langford and forced him into a walking boot was initially not thought to be serious. Obviously, that proved to be false, and it is some sort of “stress injury” (likely a stress fracture).

Langford suffered the ankle injury on Dec. 29 against Northern Illinois and has missed the past eight games. Michigan State has gone 7-1 in that stretch, but it has affected the team, especially from the three-point line.

MSU announced the news in a release. Here is what head coach Tom Izzo had to say about Langford:

“It’s with great sadness that I have to announce that after numerous studies, rehabilitation and an attempt at return, it has been determined that Josh will miss the remainder of the season,” Izzo said. ”Josh has a stress injury that we caught fairly early and we had hoped that, with treatment and rest, he would recover. He has not, and will likely need surgery to prevent problems in the future.

”We hate this for Josh and our team, as he was one of our leading scorers, one of our top three-point shooters and one of our two best defensive guards. But our commitment to Josh and his long term health is paramount. Josh has seen the best specialist in the country on this issue and we are putting together a plan for his complete recovery for the 2019-20 season.

”Throughout the process, Josh has done everything asked of him, while maintaining an amazing attitude and doing whatever he could to help his teammates. His selfless attitude is the reason there were tears throughout the meeting room when we shared the news with his team. I’ve never felt worse for a player than I do for Josh, but he’s a very religious kid who believes everything happens for a reason. He’s constantly telling me to not worry about him, but focus on the team. It’s the reason I have so much respect and admiration for the way he’s handled the injury.”

Langford played in 13 games this season, averaging 15 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 44 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and about 84 percent from the free throw line. He was also a co-captain, and one of the vocal and spiritual leaders of the team, so this loss hurts more than just on the court (of course, Langford will still be around the team, though).

Stay tuned with The Only Colors for continued coverage on this situation. Wishing you well, Joshua.