By Derek DeBurger
The University of Louisville announced Thursday that Dennis Evans is no longer medically cleared to play basketball this season.
The full statement from sports information director Zach Greenwell reads—“Freshman center Dennis Evans will not be medically cleared to compete at the University of Louisville moving forward. We are disappointed by the news and will not be releasing any additional information out of respect for Dennis’ privacy.”
Greenwell said that Evans is still a part of the program, but cannot participate in workouts, practices, or games and that he “does not foresee his status changing with the institution.”
The university has also stated that Evans’ scholarship will continue to be honored if he chooses to stay enrolled, but he is currently back home in California.
Evans had been dealing with a shoulder injury that had kept him on the sidelines since after the Nov. 29 game against Bellarmine. The announcement also comes at a time when the Louisville roster as a whole has been riddled with injuries and departures.
Tre White, JJ Traynor, and Emmanuel Okorafor are all currently dealing with injuries preventing them from playing, and Trentyn Flowers and Koron Davis are no longer with the program largely due to decisions outside of their control. All the roster movement leaves Louisville with only seven scholarship players going forward at a time when head coach Kenny Payne’s future is very much in flux.
This news is a terrible blow to a spiraling Louisville team, but even worse news for Evans. Let’s hope that whatever Evans is dealing with gets resolved soon so that he can move on with his life and get back to basketball.
Photo Courtesy // Adam Creech, U of L Athletics
