Sept. 19, 2008

LOS ANGELES - USC sophomore guard Marcus Simmons is expected to miss 8-12 weeks of action following surgery to remove additional bone growth in his left leg due to complications from an ankle injury last season, announced USC head basketball coach Tim Floyd today (Sept. 19).

Simmons, who was limited to parts of 15 games in 2007-08 due to sustaining a high ankle sprain on the first day of practice, had surgery on Tuesday to remove additional bone growth between the tibia and fibula as a result of the trauma of his past injuries to the left ankle. The surgery was performed by Dr. David Thordarson at USC Hospital.

Simmons appeared in a total of 101 minutes over 15 games as a USC freshman, scoring eight points and grabbing 23 rebounds. As a senior in high school, Simmons averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in leading Peabody High of Alexandria, La. to a 37-4 record and the 4-A Louisiana state championship.