The chances of Ryan Luther playing again for Pitt this season are now zero, as Kevin Stallings announced Thursday afternoon that the senior center’s season is over.

Luther has not played since Pitt’s loss to West Virginia on Dec. 9 due to what is being termed a “stress reaction” in his right foot. He missed 12 games last season with a stress fracture in that foot, and while there was initially optimism about his return from the most recent injury, Stallings said in a press release that the progress has not been positive.

“Ryan’s injury has not responded as well as we had hoped and our medical team has recommended shutting him down for the remainder of the season,” Stallings said. “I know Ryan is frustrated with the injuries to the foot the past two years but everyone involved agrees that it is in his best interest to rest the foot and allow it adequate time to make a complete recovery.”

“It hurts not to be out on the court and in practice with my teammates,” Luther said in the press release. “We have a good young core of players that I believe are going to continue to improve each day. I was hopeful that the latest MRI would show solid improvement in the foot but it was pretty clear that it has not responded well enough to return to action without the threat of it becoming a stress fracture like last season.”

While Luther is technically out of eligibility after this season, he plans to apply for a medical hardship waiver that would allow him to play one more year at Pitt since his injury happened in the first half of the season and he appeared in less than 30% of the team’s games.

“I love my coaches and teammates and believe in what we are building,” Luther said. “This university and the city of Pittsburgh are home to me. I am anxious to get healthy and look forward to doing something special here next season.”

The “young core” that Luther referenced has been the primary storyline regarding Pitt’s 2017-18 season, but Luther was expected to be one of the team’s anchors. As one of two returning seniors and the most experienced player on the roster by far, the western Pennsylvania native came into the season looking to carry the load as the young players grew.

And through 10 games, Luther was living up to expectations. He averaged a double-double with 12,7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and added 2.8 assists per game as well. He produced a double-double in four games this season, scored in double figures eight times in 10 games and had double-digit rebounds five times.

In Luther’s absence, several players have been filling in at center. Freshman Terrell Brown has been the next man up, starting five of the last seven games since Luther’s final contest. On Wednesday, freshman Peace Illegomah made his first career start at center but played just six minutes as Brown and Kene Chukwuka saw the bulk of the action.

Chukwuka was the standout in that game, scoring eight points and grabbing four offensive rebounds.