Juwan Parker awarded medical redshirt

While the departure of junior center Osahen Iduwe isn't good news, it wasn't all doom and bloom around the UGA basketball offices today. In the same press release announcing Iduwe's exit UGA also announced that junior guard Juwan Parker has been granted a medical redshirt for the 2015-16 season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Parker actually suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon during the 2014-15 season and tried to play through the injury. Long term, that may not have been a great idea. He tried to come back this past year but was ruled out before the season ever started. The 6'4 guard from Tulsa had averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game during his freshman campaign, leading many observers (stops typing, raises hand) to believe he might be a significant contributor if he could bounce back from injury. Sadly it was not to be.

Now Parker will have two seasons to get things going in Athens. Mark Fox sounded recently as if Parker's still coming along at his own pace, so it's not a sure thing that he'll be a major piece of the puzzle this season. Georgia had gone into 2015-16 hoping to use Parker as part of a small, fast 3 guard lineup that would allow it to press the tempo. Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, and J.J. Frazier ended up forming a solid guard rotation, but with all but Frazier graduating it would be nice for Parker to return to full speed sooner rather than later. Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!