Pitt’s Hugley to sit out rest of year, seek redshirt

Pittsburgh forward John Hugley IV will miss the rest of the season to focus on his mental health and injury rehabilitation, and will seek a redshirt year.Hugley suffered a

knee injury in the preseason and missed out on three of the very first four games of the season prior to suiting up for seven straight games into early December. He hasn’t played in the last month due to personal reasons, with coach Jeff Capel saying last month his lack was not connected to either academics nor an injury.The 6-foot-9 power forward from Cleveland released a declaration on Saturday early morning.

“I desire nothing more than to be on the court with my colleagues,” Hugley wrote on Twitter. “However, due to an injury and my mental health being a concern, after long conversations and talks with my coaches, household and mentors I have actually decided the best course of action will be for me to remain the remainder of the season to completely buy recovery psychologically in addition to physically.”

In a statement from the school, Capel said Hugley needs to be applauded for concerning this choice.

“We are here to support John as he continues to discover to manage obstacles in his personal life,” Capel stated. “John has actually worked hard to get to this point and needs to be praised for looking for the assistance to continue to grow as a boy. This next step will allow him the time and space to concentrate on his individual growth. We are here to provide love and assistance for him on this journey that will unquestionably assist him throughout his life.”

Hugley was among the best huge males in the ACC last season, balancing 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds en path to making respectable mention All-ACC honors. In eight games this season, regardless of limited minutes, he averaged 8.0 points and 3.6 rebounds.