A bombshell has come down on Oklahoma basketball on Friday as it was announced that senior guard Elijah Harkless will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season due to an injury.
Harkless first announced the news on Instagram with the team confirming it shortly thereafter.
“Due to a recent injury, my 2021-22 season is coming to an end much earlier than I want,” Harkless wrote on Instagram and Twitter. “I will be with my OU family every step of the way and help them continue to progress and close this season strong.
“I can’t wait to be back next year and shock the world.”
The news obviously comes as a big surprise as Harkless played 41 minutes just three days ago in the Sooners’ overtime loss against Texas.
What the injury is or when it was sustained is currently unknown, but obviously it is substantial enough that Harkless is turning his attention to next year.
“First and foremost we are all hurting for Elijah,” head coach Porter Moser said in a statement. “He is such a competitor and his spirit is such an integral part of our team. It is hard for any athlete to have their season to come to an abrupt end. We will be praying for a speedy recovery.”
Harkless has played in all 26 of Oklahoma’s games to this point and made 23 starts averaging 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
The Sooners, who are currently battling on the NCAA Tournament bubble, will now have to forge ahead without one of their key players.
Next up for Oklahoma is a matchup with Iowa State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Ames, IA.
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