Stanford men’s basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins announced on Friday that senior guard Aaron Bright will miss the rest of the season after suffering a dislocated right shoulder in practice and opting to undergo a season-ending surgery.
The injury, which occurred in practice last week, sidelined the senior after he averaged 5.9 points in seven games off the bench at the beginning of the Cardinal’s 2013-14 campaign. He ranked third on the team with 16 assists in those games, bringing his career total to 316 — the tenth-best mark in Stanford basketball history.
“It’s a very tough blow,” said Bright to gostanford.com. “I can guarantee you that I wouldn’t want to play and battle on the court with anyone else other than the guys in that locker room. We have created such a bond…I just want to thank the entire basketball staff, athletic trainer Tomoo Yamada, sports performance coach Pablo Reggiardo and all the fans for their support. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Bright made an immediate impact in his freshman season, finishing second on the team in assists and third in three-pointers made. He would go on to lead the team in assists in both his sophomore and junior seasons and was a significant contributor due to his ball control and shooting consistency.
Bright’s career was highlighted by his standout performance in the Cardinal’s 2012 NIT championship run, for which he earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors as a sophomore. He averaged a team-best 16.8 points per game and shot 64.1 percent overall, including a 66.7 percent mark from three-point territory.
“Aaron has been a leader for us on and off the court,” said Dawkins to gostanford.com. “We are committed in assisting Aaron in every way possible to ensure he makes necessary progress in the classroom towards finishing his degree. We also hope that surgery goes well and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Contact Do-Hyoung Park at dpark027 ‘at’ stanford.edu.