Jay Wright provides update on Justin Moore, injury recovery
Villanova was dealt a brutal blow ahead of the Final Four, as star guard Justin Moore went down with a torn right Achilles tendon in the final minutes of Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Houston. While Moore still has a long road to recovery ahead of him, Villanova head coach Jay Wright provided a positive update on his status Monday morning.
Moore — just two days removed from the injury — underwent successful surgery at 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning, per Wright.
“Incredible effort on our medical staff’s part,” Wright said, via Adam Zagoria. “Came out of surgery and it went well.”
Moore, of course, will now miss the Final Four after suffering the injury, which ended his season just days before the biggest games of the year. A junior from Fort Washington, Maryland, Moore was averaging 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest this year, and he finished the Elite Eight game against Houston with eight points, two rebounds, a block and a steal in 37 minutes played.
“This is a tough blow for all of us, not just because of the great player Justin is, but because of what he means to us as teammates and coaches,” Wright said previously in a statement. “As one of our captains, Justin has been an integral part of our success. He helps our team in so many ways. Every game, he guards the opponent’s best scorer and is one of the toughest rebounding guards we have had in our time at Villanova.”
Vilanova teammates console Moore after injury
Following Villanova’s win, teammates gathered around Justin Moore on the bench and included him in the celebration despite his apparent Achilles tendon injury. Head coach Jay Wright confirmed in his press conference that doctors believed it could be bad news but would only confirm that preliminary x-rays came back negative ahead of Sunday’s MRI.
After Villanova guard Justin Moore suffered an apparent Achilles injury late in the second half of a 50-44 victory against Houston in the Elite Eight, his teammates made sure he wasn’t left out of the celebration. A recent tweet showed several Wildcats players surrounding a crying Moore in the moments following the win, patting him on the shoulder and offering words of encouragement.
Moore suffered the injury as he tried to dribble towards the basket late in the second half. He collapsed to the ground in pain and turned it over after suffering an injury, and the replay shows a clear view of Moore’s right calf/Achilles appearing to pop as he plants his foot.
Moore played 37 minutes, the most of any Wildcats player, and finished with eight points in an otherwise low-scoring game. Villanova shot a less-than-ideal 28.8% from the floor, but did manage to go a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line in the win.