The Alabama Crimson Tide’s second leading scorer, Ricky Tarrant, will miss the remainder of the season the team announced Thursday. Tarrant originally suffered the injury against the Florida Gators on January 27 and had missed the past eight games, but the team had hoped for Tarrant’s return. Instead, the ruptured plantar fascia will keep the junior on the sideline for the rest of the 2014-15 campaign.
In light of this news, the team has also announced that Tarrant will go under the knife to repair minor damage to his left knee. Originally, the team had hoped that Tarrant could wait until the end of the season, however, the available time made it an easy decision for the training staff.
“He has been dealing with a couple of different injuries with his foot and knee,” Tide coach Anthony Grant said in a statement. “We felt his foot was not progressing well enough to return to action in the next few weeks. And knowing about his knee surgery, we all felt it was in his best interest to move forward with the procedure at this time.”
Tarrant played in 19 games this year averaging an impressive 13.1 points per game. Still, the numbers don’t tell the entire story as his impact on the floor runs much deeper, and over the past eight games, the Crimson Tide has limped to a 4-4 record. Had Tarrant been in the lineup, we may have been discussing a completely different scenario where Alabama may be in the NCAA Tournament instead of on the outside looking in. Nonetheless, The Crimson Tide will have at least four more opportunities to improve their candidacy before selection Sunday, and it’s up to the remaining members of the squad to prove why they belong in the NCAA Tournament field.
*Section Photo credit to Marvin Gentry, USA Today Sports; Featured Photo (above) credit to Kelly Lambert, USA Today Sports
