Garfield's Tony Wroten could miss 7 to 9 months with torn ACL

Garfield High basketball standout Tony Wroten Jr., who injured his right knee in the Bulldogs' football season-opener, will not play football again this season and will likely miss the upcoming basketball season.

Wroten, a 6-foot-5 junior who is rated among the top five prep basketball players in his class nationally and the No. 2 point guard by ESPN.com, told football coach Anthony Allen he tore his ACL and is considering surgery. If Wroten has surgery, the usual recovery is 7 to 9 months, which wouldn't allow him to return to the basketball team this season.

Wroten led the Bulldogs to the Class 4A state championship game last season.

"The last time I heard from him, which was [Friday], I think he's supposed to have surgery next Friday and then go from there," Allen said Saturday.

Messages to Wroten's father Tony Wroten Sr. and Garfield High boys basketball coach Ed Haskins were not immediately returned.

Allen said Wroten Jr. is surprisingly upbeat despite the injury. He has attended the past two Garfield football games and doesn't appear to be hurt, according to Allen.

"We talked several times during the course of the day and he was in very high spirits," Allen said. "We were sort of teasing each other and I said I wish he would get some crutches or something. He's in remarkable spirits."

Before this year, Wroten hadn't played football since seventh grade. He played receiver and free safety and suffered the injury midway through the fourth quarter of a 12-6 victory over Franklin when he caught a pass, reversed field and was hit in the knee.

The injury was originally diagnosed as a bruise and Wroten has visited with a few doctors in the past two weeks.

"When he told me what it was, I was shocked," Allen said. "He was walking around and you just don't think it's that serious. It was quite shocking."

Wroten, arguably the best basketball player in the state, was second-guessed when he decided to play football, but his heart was set on playing.

"We had this discussion last year and then this year he came to me and said, 'Coach I'm going to play football,' " Allen said. "Once the kid makes make up his own mind about something like that, then you just deal with it. You wonder [about injury], but you just don't think something like that can happen.

"It's just sad because now it gives people who think he shouldn't have played something to point at, but in reality this could have happened at any time."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com