Duke’s title chances took a huge hit on Saturday when the school announced senior big man Amile Jefferson is out for the season with a foot injury. If the Blue Devils have it their way, though, this won’t be the last time Jefferson puts on a Duke uniform.
Duke’s Amile Jefferson out for season with foot injury, could return with hardship waiver
This might not be the last time we hear from Jefferson at Duke.
Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Duke is set to petition the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver for Jefferson, which would grant him another year of eligibility to return to next season’s team. Duke is bringing in a loaded recruiting class next year headlined by the top two players in the country -- big man Harry Giles and wing Jayson Tatum. The return of Jefferson might make Duke preseason No. 1 despite the expected loss of Brandon Ingram and the possible departure of Grayson Allen.
Jefferson hasn’t played since Dec. 5 against Buffalo and was averaging 11.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. He’s been a defensive staple at Duke through years of one-and-done players, from Jabari Parker to Jahlil Okafor to Ingram. Now, maybe Giles and Tatum will get to play with him, too.
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