Patient Stories
Labral Tear Repair in a College Basketball Player: How Noah Shannon Became His Conference's Best Shooter
Date posted: 6/1/2026
Last updated: 6/1/2026
Table of Contents
Noah Shannon, 22, of Northfield, IL, recently finished his senior year as a forward on the Macalester College men's basketball team. It was truly a year to celebrate.
Growing up playing baseball, soccer, and basketball, Noah chose to focus exclusively on basketball as a freshman at New Trier High School.
"I knew basketball was my number one, but I wasn't very big," Noah explains. "I really didn't grow until my senior year. I worked hard and by senior year I was playing well and got a lot of playing time."
He performed well enough that during a New Trier workout, Macalester College coach Abe Woldeslassie took notice. As the recruiting process unfolded, Macalester rose to the top.
"I really liked Coach Abe and wanted to play for him," Noah says.
Shoulder Injury in a Basketball Player: When Performance Drops Without Any Pain
During his time at Macalester, Noah's strength and skills continued to grow. Before his junior year, he began working with a shooting coach and set a goal to add ten pounds of muscle in preparation for the season.
Then something unexpected happened.
"One day something happened in my shoulder during shooting practice," Noah explains. "My shot was unrecognizable, I couldn't hold the ball with one hand, and my arm was shaking. But thankfully, I didn't have any pain."
He pushed through and played his entire junior season — but his stats told the story. He missed layups and three-pointers and converted just 50% of his free throws. His shoulder wasn't functioning the way it was supposed to, and Noah grew increasingly frustrated.
"He just didn't seem to be playing like himself," says Noah's mom, Monica. "No matter how hard he was practicing and training, the hard work wasn't showing. It wasn't until we were watching him shoot a free throw and heard the announcer say, 'Well, that is an interesting way to shoot a free throw,' that we knew we had to get him checked out."
Diagnosing a Torn Labrum: What an MRI Revealed About Noah's Shoulder
Once his junior season wrapped up, Noah and his mom consulted with Dr. Nikhil Verma, a sports medicine surgeon and shoulder specialist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago. Noah was drawn to Dr. Verma's experience treating elite athletes — including his role as head team physician for the Chicago White Sox and team physician for the Chicago Bulls.
The MRI Dr. Verma ordered confirmed the cause of Noah's struggles: a torn labrum.
"Noah had a labrum tear, which is common in basketball players," Dr. Verma explains. "It results in significant dysfunction of the shoulder and generally has a significant impact on performance. Fortunately, when identified early and repaired properly, the prognosis is very favorable for a full return to sport. Without surgery, however, the complexity of the problem can progress — with injuries to cartilage or bone — which can significantly complicate outcomes and future surgery."
After discussing his options and his goal of returning to full form for his senior season, Noah and Dr. Verma agreed that labral tear repair surgery was the right path forward.
Shoulder Labrum Surgery and Recovery: Returning to the Court After Arthroscopic Repair
Noah underwent a successful procedure at Rush University Medical Center and returned home the same day to begin his recovery. That summer, he completed physical therapy while working a summer internship — in a sling.
"Fortunately, we got to Noah early, and his commitment to rehab was critical in his excellent outcome," Dr. Verma adds.
Back at Macalester that fall, basketball training resumed. Noah approached the court with cautious optimism.
"I was a little scared to get back on the court, but finally my shoulder was working the right way again," Noah explains.
Back to Elite Performance: Leading the Conference in Scoring and Rebounds After Labrum Repair
His game came back — and then some.
Noah converted more than half of his three-pointers and 75% of his free throws. He led the conference in scoring and rebounds and finished his college career with over 1,000 points, earning a place in the Macalester record books.
"Dr. Verma is so good at what he does and I'm so grateful to him," Noah says. "I'm 100% glad that I had the labral surgery."
Life After Shoulder Surgery: What Comes Next for Noah Shannon
With collegiate basketball behind him, Noah is putting his shoulder to good use in a new way — throwing darts with friends. He is also looking forward to starting his first job in Minneapolis and continuing to play recreational basketball.
He remains deeply grateful to Dr. Verma and his team at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, whose care played a pivotal role in one of the best seasons of his career.
