Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Dwayne Morgan out for season, will apply for medical redshirt

UNLV Over NAU Basketball

L.E. Baskow

UNLV forward Dwayne Morgan (15) is pleased with his team’s performance over Northern Arizona during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016.

Dwayne Morgan, who has missed UNLV’s last 10 games, will sit out the rest of the season due to shoulder and hip injuries, UNLV announced on Thursday.

The school will apply for a medical hardship waiver after the season in an effort to preserve another year of eligibility for the junior forward.

Morgan had hip surgery in the offseason and missed the first game of the season against South Alabama on Nov. 11 while recovering. He played in the Rebels’ next eight games, but suffered a shoulder injury in UNLV’s loss to Duke on Dec. 10 and has been sidelined since.

Morgan leaves a big hole in the Rebels’ lineup. He had emerged as the team’s best player this season, averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while playing defense at an all-conference level before the injuries ended his breakthrough campaign. Morgan’s plus/minus rating of +7.8 per 40 minutes is the best individual mark the team.

Morgan should qualify for a medical redshirt. NCAA guidelines state that if a player suffers a season-ending injury during the first half of the season and appears in no more than 30 percent of his team’s games, the school can apply for a hardship waiver. If the NCAA approves the waiver, Morgan will have two more years of eligibility remaining, starting with the 2017-18 season.

Though UNLV coach Marvin Menzies has been tight-lipped about the severity of Morgan’s injuries, he was always considered a long shot to return this season. According to multiple sources, Morgan suffered a partially torn labrum in his left (non-shooting) shoulder against Duke. The injury won’t require surgery, but the strenuous rehab process all but ruled out a return to action this year.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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