Johnson to miss remainder of season with torn right ACL, meniscus

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Pitt forward Durand Johnson will miss the remainder of the team’s 2013-14 season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus suffered in Saturday’s game against Wake Forest.

“We are thoroughly heartbroken for Durand,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “With his passion for the game and outstanding work ethic, Durand has contributed significantly to our success.”

The redshirt sophomore from Baltimore, Md., played in all 16 games off the bench and was Pitt’s fourth-leading scorer with 8.8 points in 19.8 minutes per game. He helped Pitt (15-1, 3-0 ACC) to start conference play with three consecutive wins for the first time since 2010-11.

Johnson went to the floor after he was fouled with 5:30 remaining in the game Saturday. He was slow to get up, and grabbed at his knee while on the ground.

After teammates helped him to his feet Johnson shot and made a pair of free throws, then sat on the bench for the remainder of the game. Little was known about his status post-game, with Dixon only offering that “We’ll see. We’ll check in with him.”

It was determined Sunday that Johnson tore the ACL and meniscus, and will have surgery within the next week. The rehabilitation process runs anywhere from nine months to a year.

The injury followed Pitt’s game last week against Maryland when Johnson scored a career-high 17 points.  

“He has made so much improvement in all facets of his game this year,” Dixon said. “I expect that same passion and work ethic to help Durand return at 100 percent next season.”