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'I feel for Austin': After re-aggravating injury, Wiley 'doubtful' against Georgia

Austin Wiley (50) during Auburn Men's Basketball vs. Arkansas on Feb. 20, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.
Austin Wiley (50) during Auburn Men's Basketball vs. Arkansas on Feb. 20, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

Bruce Pearl knows Austin Wiley is frustrated. 

Just when it seems the 6-foot-11 junior center, who returned this season after sitting out the 2017-18 campaign for his connection to the Chuck Person FBI investigation, is ready to become the player Auburn expected him to be when Pearl signed Wiley as a five-star prospect out of Hoover, Alabama, something goes wrong.

"More than anything, I feel for Austin," Pearl said Tuesday.

Auburn's head coach has ruled Wiley "doubtful" for Auburn's Wednesday matchup with Georgia after Wiley's "re-aggravated" his leg injury last Saturday.

Less than five minutes into the second half of the Tigers' loss at Kentucky over the weekend, Wiley crumbled to the hardwood and did not return. Pearl said in the days leading up the Kentucky game that Wiley had been "getting closer" to 100 percent in regards to his nagging injury from earlier in the season. 

Pearl said Wiley didn't re-injure himself, but his 260-pound frame collapsing awkwardly on his leg was painful enough to pull Wiley from the game and have him evaluated further. Wiley underwent X-Rays and MRI procedures Sunday, and no further damage was found.

"So in coming back from the injury, he’s running and he’s playing and he’s jumping and he’s landing, but at Kentucky, was probably the first time he landed on one leg... he felt it," Pearl said. "... Because he did feel it, there’s a little more inflammation and a little more pain, and until that calms down, we should sit him out. So our expectation is that he won’t play at Georgia. But that’s to be determined.” 

After a lower right leg injury kept Wiley out of five straight contests for the Tigers, he returned Feb. 5 in a win over Florida. Wiley has since appeared in Auburn's past six games, playing five, three, eight, 11, 13 and six minutes against Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Kentucky, respectively.   

Austin Wiley (50) during Auburn Men's Basketball vs. Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in Auburn, Ala.

During that six-game stretch, the center averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per outing.

Wiley, who has dealt with injury issues since high school, is now an occasional commodity for Auburn this season as opposed to a reliable starter. Junior Anfernee McLemore (7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game) has started 22 of Auburn's 27 games this season at center.

Last season, Wiley declared for the 2018 NBA Draft but chose to return for his junior year after being closely evaluated by league scouts. The center is currently projected as a second-round pick in this year's NBA Draft should he choose that path.

Pearl believes Auburn fans haven't seen the last of Wiley this season, however.

"He’s been going through it all season long," Pearl said of Wiley's injury troubles. "No, I think this is something that he’ll be able to come back from. It’s just that we need to let it calm down and see how it progresses over the next week or so.” 


Nathan King | Sports Editor

Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.


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