Mike Scott’s season is over, as he will need a second surgery on his injured left ankle.
Virginia’s senior forward, who happens to be the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, initially had arthroscopic surgery on his ankle on Dec. 16th to remove three or bone bone chips. He played 31 minutes against Seattle just six days later, but has not played since then, missing the last four games.
According to head coach Tony Bennett, Scott had a few episodes where the ankle “locked up on him” during practices and workouts. The staff decided to shut him down for the remainder of the season, I’m sure in large part because Scott has only played in ten games, meaning he is currently eligible for a medical hardship waiver.
It has to be tough to swallow for Scott to sit out the season, but it could end up being a blessing in disguise. Virginia has some talented youngsters on their roster with a couple more solid recruits coming in next season. With essentially the entire roster coming back next season, the ‘Hoos should have a better chance of getting to the NCAA Tournament.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.