Highly touted Villanova guard Bryan Antoine cleared to play in game competition
Antoine underwent right shoulder surgery on May 31 and began practicing with the Wildcats only on Nov. 7. Coach Jay Wright said they'll bring him along slowly.
Villanova freshman guard Bryan Antoine, who returned to practice Nov. 7 after rehabilitating his surgically repaired right shoulder, has been medically cleared to play competitively and will be available for this week’s Myrtle Beach Invitational, coach Jay Wright announced Monday.
The 6-foot-5 Antoine, a five-star high school recruit and McDonald’s All-American, underwent surgery for a torn right labrum on May 31. He has watched all three of the 17th-ranked Wildcats’ games from the bench in street clothes.
In a statement, Wright said Antoine has worked “extremely hard in his rehab.”
“Bryan has been fully cleared to play in games and we’re happy for him,” he said. “Our plan is to bring Bryan along slowly. He’s only just returned to practice and the learning curve is steep for any freshman. Bryan’s working hard to catch up and we’re going to do all we can to help him in this transition.”
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Antoine, who shoots righthanded, played his entire senior season at The Ranney School with a sore shoulder and had his injury diagnosed by Villanova’s medical staff.
The Wildcats (3-1), who fell from the No. 10 ranking after their 76-51 loss at Ohio State, take on Middle Tennessee State on Thursday at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C. They will face either Mississippi State or Tulane on Friday and will wrap up their stay with a game Friday against an opponent to be determined.