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While Wahoos are (rightfully) celebrating the commitment of four star shooting guard Casey Morsell, there’s always some bad news to even things out. As reported by Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times, Virginia big man Jay Huff will be out for 3-4 months as he recovers from a torn labrum suffered in practice the day before the NCAA tournament loss to UMBC.
According to Jay’s father, Mike, Huff got “tangled up” in practice with a teammate. They cleared Huff to play in the NCAA tournament, but after returning to Charlottesville, the tear in the labrum was found via MRI.
The tear is in Huff’s right shoulder, and although it’ll slow his training this summer, it’s not all bad. “It allows him to continue to develop his left,” Poppa Huff told Doughty. “You’ve got to make the best of it. He’s a little frustrated but he’s not down. He’s excited about next year and anxious to get started.”
Huff played in just 12 games this season for the Hoos, averaging 8.8 minutes. He is expected to be a big piece of Virginia’s team next season, but needs work defensively. His dad says his outlook is still optimistic and he’s nearing in on the defensive skills:
His spirits have been fine. I’ve been impressed. His spirits might have been better than his mom’s and mine because we were ready for him to get going, too. There’s a lot to learn and, from the conversations we’ve had, he’s really close to learning the defense. I think he’s in a good place.
He has been sporting a supportive sling with an abduction pillow, which, according to our resident shoulder injury expert Paul Wiley, “keeping the elbow away from the torso helps prevent the shoulder joint from tightening up as much while it’s immobilized, which in turn makes it easier to regain mobility as you get into physical therapy.”
Huff joins fellow redshirt second year DeAndre Hunter in using this summer to recuperate from injury. While there’s no good time for an injury, Huff having the summer to recover and prepare for next season is about as good as you could hope for.