Junior guard Caden Dickerson will miss the rest of the 2011-2012 season after he undergoes shoulder surgery on his left shoulder, Head Coach Ken McDonald said in a release on Tuesday.

Dickerson played in WKU’s first four games, starting two of them, but was sidelined since then and wore a sling on his arm.

He said on his Facebook page that he’s scheduled to have the surgery over Christmas break.

“We feel for Caden now that we know he will have to miss the rest of our season to rehab after his shoulder surgery,” McDonald said in a statement. “Caden is a competitor, and it will be hard for him to sit on the sidelines. He is the ultimate teammate and can still be a major contributor for this team, but just in a different role.

“This surgery should help Caden come back even stronger next year. We and his family determined surgery was the best option moving forward after talking with our athletic trainer and doctors, since this is the same shoulder that he injured at the end of last season.”

McDonald told the Bowling Green Daily News on Tuesday that it’s a four-to-six month recovery process after the surgery.

Dickerson has injured both shoulders during his career, but for this particular shoulder injury he chose to do rehab instead of surgery because of the longer recovery time associated with surgery.

He wore a brace on his left shoulder every game this season, just as he did last season when his right shoulder was injured.

Dickerson shot 11 percent from the field (2-for-17) this season and 15 percent from three-point range (2-for-13). He led WKU in three-point shooting the past two seasons.

He’ll seek a medical redshirt, and if granted, will have two years of eligibility remaining.