Iowa's Cordell Pemsl has sports hernia surgery

IOWA CITY — Cordell Pemsl is no stranger to surgery. He added another one to his list on Tuesday, as the Iowa sophomore-to-be underwent surgery for a sports hernia.

Pemsl is expected to miss approximately eight weeks of summer basketball activities, according to a release Wednesday from Iowa.

The eight-week window means Pemsl is 'not expected' to compete in the annual Prime Time League, which includes players from the Iowa and Northern Iowa men's basketball teams, as well as other local colleges and universities. Pemsl is expected to be back in time to take part in games the Hawkeyes will play during their trip to Germany in August.

'I spoke to Cordell after the surgery and everything went great,' Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in a news release Wednesday. 'We're happy that he will be back on the court later this summer.'

Pemsl started 14 games last season, averaging 8.9 points and five rebounds per game. The forward shot a single-season school record 61.7 percent (116 of 188) from the field as a freshman.

During high school, Pemsl had multiple surgeries on his knees and leg, one of which was an intentional re-breaking of his leg to have it heal properly for his senior season at Dubuque Wahlert.

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