Baylor Men’s Basketball junior F Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua also known as “Everyday Jon” or EJ by Baylor fans and media was ruled out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season after suffering a severe knee injury. Silencing the crowd in the Baylor matchup against Texas on Saturday, he went down on a no-contact injury that left him in obvious pain and unable to walk off the court on his own volition. The then-ranked No. 10 Bears somehow rallied together for the rest of the game and defeated the No. 20 Longhorns, 80-63. Although Tchamwa Tchatchoua isn’t in the Bears’ starting 5, he’s one of only 3 on the roster who’s played in every game this season. Averaging 8.4 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds, which puts his stats at fifth in the Big 12, losing the star F is a huge casualty for an already injury-ridden Baylor team.
After the Texas game, head coach Scott Drew said, “I’m really proud of how they stepped up when Jon went out. But it’s bittersweet as a coach. I think all parents can relate to, whenever you see your child or one of your players get hurt like that, and they’ve worked so hard. Don’t know the severity of it, but obviously didn’t look good. So our prayers go out and our hearts go out to him and hope for the best.”
The Bears haven’t had a consistent starting lineup since early January (remember that incredible domination of Villanova?) as they lost freshman F Jeremy Sochan, senior G James Akinjo, junior G Adam Flagler, and sophomore G LJ Cryer for substantial games due to injuries. Tchamwa Tchatchoua had surgery on Tuesday to repair ligaments in his knee, which will be a lengthy recovery process. Despite having senior F Flo Thamba starting and healthy, having the duo of Thamba and Tchamwa Tchatchoua was crucial for the Bears’ success. Hopefully EJ will recover well and be back to play next year!
