Vanderbilt Star Darius Garland Out for Season After Knee Surgery

Vanderbilt Commodores freshman guard Darius Garland will miss the rest of the 2018-19 college basketball season because of a knee injury suffered Friday night in a loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Commodores head coach Bryce Drew announced the update on the meniscus injury Tuesday.

"Darius had a very successful surgery, and will be better than ever when he returns," Drew said. "Unfortunately, he will be out for the remainder of this season."

Garland averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor, including 47.8 percent on three-point attempts, across five appearances.

The Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) product was a 5-star prospect and the No. 14 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Adam Sparks of the Tennessean noted the prized recruit was happy for the opportunity to play basketball at a school close to home where he wouldn't receive unwanted attention.

"I like it a lot," Garland said. "People know who I am, but I'm treated like a regular student."

His injury is a significant setback for Vanderbilt, which opened the regular season 4-0 before Friday's loss to Kent State out of the MAC.

Aaron Nesmith should see the biggest uptick in playing time on the wing. Maxwell Evans should also receive some extra minutes in the backcourt rotation.

The Commodores will play their first game without Garland on Tuesday night when they face the Savannah State Tigers at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.