SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The newest member of San Francisco’s Zoo gorilla troop made his official public debut on Wednesday.

Cecil, a 26-year-old silverback western lowland gorilla, comes to San Francisco from the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.

Zoo keepers describe Cecil as even-tempered, sweet and laid back.

This is the first time he will be leading a family troop and he is getting use to being around females.

Zoologists hope Cecil will be a good mate to the zoo’s three female gorillas.

“We feel like this is a new day for the zoo. And Cecil is kinda the beginning of the new day for the zoo, and such like that. So, we’re really excited to see him get along with the females and hopefully we’ll get some baby gorillas in the next few years,” said zoologist Robbie Graham.

MORE: Beloved San Francisco Zoo gorilla Oscar unexpectedly dies at 43: ‘We are heartbroken’

Cecil will be a welcome addition after the San Francisco Zoo’s only male gorilla, Oscar, died unexpectedly in February.

The gorilla exhibit reopens to the public this weekend.

• Coach Mark Pope stated that while Quaintance is recovering quickly, the team is being cautious with his return.
• UK has enough frontcourt depth and enough players to score that it could succeed without Quaintance this season.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — At his best, Kentucky basketball forward Jayden Quaintance has the makings of a dominant force and a future pro career.

The operative phrase being at his best.

Quaintance is far from that now. Most players who had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in their right knee in March would not be back to full health now, either.

UK coach Mark Pope should consider what Quaintance is not and hold him out for the entire season.

“He feels like he’s on the verge of being ready to go, and we’re just hitting the brakes full time right now to make sure, because his future is going to be incredibly bright in this game,” Pope said Tuesday at SEC Tipoff media days. 

Quaintance had his surgery five days before USC star JuJu Watkins suffered her own ACL injury in a game. Watkins, who is projected to be the next big star in the women’s game, announced last month that she was going to sit out the entire season. 

The timing of Quaintance’s injury and surgery is what makes his status so precarious.

Modern medicine has made it so ACL injuries stopped being career-enders a long time ago. And there have been many successful examples of players with ACL injuries who returned and were productive the next season. But those examples tend to be players who weren’t injured in the same calendar year. 

“I’m not sure exactly how long the wait is,” Pope said. “I don’t think there’s a chance we could keep him from playing this season. I think he’s too excited, too talented, worked too hard to get back. He’s going to be really special.”

Here’s the thing: UK doesn’t need Quaintance to have a special season and pursue the ninth national title that has been so ingrained in its roster. He’s just a piece of the puzzle with a full supporting cast.

Junior Brandon Garrison has had a promising offseason and looks to take on a larger role than last season. Pope called Malachi Moreno an “impactful freshman” who was “unbelievable on the glass” and shooting 80% from the field in practice scrimmages.