Wyatt Smith To Miss 2015-2016 Season
The Salisbury University basketball team is coming off of its best season in 19 years notching a 20-win season and a CAC Tournament Championship.
After missing action for the first four games of the season, junior Wyatt Smith, emerged as one of, if not the most, dynamic players in the CAC. Smith scored double-digit points in 18 of his 26 games played along with notching eight double-doubles and scored a career-high of 37 points to help the Gulls advance to the second round of the NCAA DIII Tournament. Smith made a name for himself on the court with his monster, ground-shaking dunks against his opponents.
While the Gulls gear up for the start of their season on November 13, Smith is preparing for shoulder surgery tomorrow. According to Smith, there was no specific moment the tear occurred, but instead, it was an ongoing injury that continued throughout his basketball career. Recently, he felt his shoulder getting worse and starting to come out of the socket with more trouble putting it back in, which led to the September check up to get a MRI. Smith learned a third of his labrum was torn and the decision then became – should he play through it this season and risk a worse injury, or should he get the surgery and return for a healthy senior season in 2016.
The clear decision was made to go through with the surgery – to ensure they can get ahead of his injury and set him up for a big senior season. With the surgery happening tomorrow, the road to recovery will begin with a 6 month recovery, but possibly more – according the Smith. The CAC first-team player says his trainers will be treating his recovery like a baseball pitcher because it is his shooting arm so the recovery time could be a little bit longer.
Smith is at peace with his decision to get the surgery and although he does not want to miss this year with his returning seniors, he knows that it’s what is best for his career as a Gull.
The Art Major is also concerned with his school projects not being able to use his dominant hand for awhile, but he’s excited to excel and get better with his right hand to make him an even more dynamic player on the court. In the meantime, he is looking forward to help lead his team on the sidelines and be a student of the game. He has all the confidence in the world in his team and says they are bound to have a great season – and that this is a time for other players to step up and make big plays.
The Gulls will miss Smith’s presence on the court, but he will be back next season with a new hunger to be great in this game.
