Tahj Shamsid-Deen and Trayvon Reed will not be returning to the basketball court for 2016-17, head coach Bruce Pearl announced on Friday.
Issues with separated shoulders limited Shamsid-Deen to playing in five games this past season after injuring his previously surgically repaired right shoulder Nov. 27 vs. Northwestern State. He missed the season opener in addition to the final 11 games of the previous season in order to have surgery on both of his separated shoulders.
“Tahj gave it all he had,” said Pearl. “He continued to fight and comeback many, many times and that shows how tough he is. The doctors say he has been though a lot, and it is time. He is a true student-athlete with the student being first.
After re-injuring his right shoulder at No. 10 Xavier on Dec. 19 in only six minutes, the Decatur, Georgia native was forced to miss the rest of the season. After successful surgery on his right shoulder Jan. 21, he had a season-high eight points in 16 minutes vs. Georgia Southern.
“It has been tough,” said Shamsid-Deen. “It is probably my first injury I ever have had. For those to be the first injuries and to end my career is pretty devastating. My parents built the foundation where school would always be a backup plan for me. I’m going to continue to get my degree at Auburn in December in Finance and then my master’s degree with a MBA and MSS starting in January."
Shamsid-Deen average 9.5 points and 2.9 assists as the starting point guard for all 30 games as a freshman in 2013-14. He was the first Auburn freshman to start every game since Quantez Robertson in 2005-06, scoring 17 points on 5-of-8 3-pointers at Florida.
“I am just glad that Coach Pearl was there supporting me along with the whole coaching staff and the support of the fans. I received letters from so many fans after my surgery," he said. "That meant a lot to me, and I really appreciate all of the love I received the last three years.”
The 7-foot-2 sophomore center Reed is leaving the team after redshirting this past season and appearing in 23 the games the previous season.
“Trayvon worked extremely hard during his redshirt season to come back,” said Pearl. “I wish him well in the future.”
Reed had four points, five rebounds and a career-high five blocks in Auburn’s double overtime win over Xavier, who reached the 2015 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He had a career-high eight rebounds vs. Winthrop.
“I appreciate all of the people who have helped me at Auburn,” said Reed. “I am grateful to my coaches and teammates for all of their support.”
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