The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
Since 1888
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.

Vanderbilt forward Aaron Nesmith out indefinitely with stress fracture

Commodores lose top scorer and top NBA prospect to injury for second consecutive season.
Aaron+Nesmith+drains+a+step-back+jumper+in+Vanderbilts+scrimmage+against+Clark-Atlanta.
Hunter Long
Aaron Nesmith drains a step-back jumper in Vanderbilt’s scrimmage against Clark-Atlanta.

This story was last updated January 11 at 5:09 p.m.

Vanderbilt sophomore forward Aaron Nesmith is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his foot and will likely miss the remainder of the 2019-2020 college basketball season, per sources close to the team.

The news comes just two days after Nesmith, who leads the SEC in scoring with 23.0 points per game, played 39 minutes in a loss at Auburn. He will seek a second opinion from a doctor, per sources.

In the postgame press conference following Vanderbilt’s 69-50 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse confirmed the initial reports.

“A lot of different circumstances happened over the last 24 hours; the main one being Aaron figuring out that his season is probably over,” Stackhouse said of his star. “It was a tough blow understanding that our leader and our best player, who has been a huge part of what we have done so far, is probably no longer going to be with us.”

According to Stackhouse, Nesmith sustained the injury multiple weeks ago and was able to play through the initial discomfort.

“He was having some pain and discomfort,” Stackhouse said. “They took an X-ray a few weeks ago, a couple weeks ago, when he did something to his ankle. They saw a little something there but it wasn’t a main concern and then now it was like, lets just be sure, and they go in to be sure and they found that it was more than what it needed to be.”

Hunter Long
Aaron Nesmith (right) sported a walking boot and a scooter ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Texas A&M.

This marks the second consecutive year in which Vanderbilt’s leading scorer and top NBA prospect suffered a potential season-ending injury. Former Commodore point guard Darius Garland missed all but five games in the 2018-2019 season with a torn meniscus.

Nesmith currently ranks fifth in the nation in scoring and first in made threes per game, hitting 4.3 per contest at a mark of 52.2 percent. He has been projected as an NBA first round draft pick, as high as 14th overall in mock drafts. Nesmith’s injury, coupled with the injury of forward Clevon Brown, gives Vanderbilt just eight scholarship players on the active roster.

News of Nesmith’s injury was also posted on VandySports.com and later retracted.

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About the Contributors
Max Schneider, Former Sports Editor

Max Schneider (’20) was the Sports Editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler. He has been on staff since the first semester of his freshman year, first as a staff writer and shortly thereafter as the Deputy Sports Editor. Max also serves as the host of VU Sports Wired on Vanderbilt Television and The Hustler Sports 30 on VandyRadio.

He majored in communications studies and political science in the College of Arts and Science. Max has had bylines on NHL.com and has previously worked for The Nashville Predators, The Players’ Tribune and Nashville SC. He has attended several events as credentialed media, including the 2019 College Baseball World Series, the 2019 NBA Draft and the 2018 Texas Bowl.

Max is a native New Yorker and a die-hard Jets fan still holding out hope.

For tips, please reach out to: [email protected] or find him on Twitter or LinkedIn
Hunter Long, Former Multimedia Director
Hunter Long (’21) is from Austin, TX and double majored in molecular biology and medicine, health and society. He is an avid lover of film photography, good music and all things coffee. He can be reached at [email protected].    
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malika
4 years ago

Nice and helpful post for me. Thank you so much for sharing.