Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball team suffered a major blow on Tuesday as the team announced that freshman point guard Darius Garland would miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season after having surgery on a meniscus injury in his left knee.
Garland suffered the injury last Friday in the opening minutes of Vanderbilt’s game against Kent State.
“Darius had a very successful surgery, and will be better than ever when he returns,” said head coach Bryce Drew. “Unfortunately, he will be out for the remainder of this season.”
The freshman guard was already making waves at the start of the season, leading the team to an undefeated record through four games. He averaged 16.2 points per game in his four full games and already earned one SEC Freshman of the Week honor. His final full performance was a 33-point night against Liberty last week.
Last November, Garland made history as the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Vanderbilt and the first five-star since John Jenkins. He was joined by 6’10” forward Simisola Shittu a few weeks later when the Canadian signed with the Commodores.
Garland now has the option to declare for the NBA Draft after this season, but it remains to be seen what he will decide regarding his future.
“We don’t know at this point,” Drew told The Tennessean, when asked if Garland could return next season. “Everything is so fresh right now. Once everything calms down, we will be able to sit down and talk about those things and what’s best for his future.”
Stay tuned for ongoing coverage.