Ryan Luther to Miss Remainder of Pitt 2017-18 Season

Good and bad news for the Pitt basketball team today.

Bad news is that senior forward Ryan Luther will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season with a foot injury.

The good news is that he plans on applying for a medical redshirt from the NCAA so that he can return next season.

“I am going to apply for a medical hardship and hope to remain at the University of Pittsburgh for another season. I love my coaches and teammates and believe in what we are building. This university and the city of Pittsburgh are home to me. I am anxious to get healthy and look forward to doing something special here next season,” said Luther.

Under NCAA rules, players must play less than 10 percent of a team’s games over the first half of the season to remain eligible to apply for a medical hardship.

PSN believes that it’s very likely Luther will be granted the medical redshirt to return next season.

Ryan Luther (4) with the boot on his foot against Duke on January 10, 2018 — DAVID HAGUE

Luther missed the last 12 games of last season with an injury to the same foot.

Prior to the injury, Luther was averaging 12.7 points per game, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Luther has aspirations of playing basketball after college so a full season of playing would be beneficial.

Having him return would be huge for Kevin Stallings and Pitt. To be able to start a lineup of Luther, Malik Ellison and second year players Marcus Carr, Shamiel Stevenson, Parker Stewart, Jared Wilson-Frame and Kameron Davis would make Pitt a lot more competitive.