Last Monday, WVU basketball guard Taz Sherman left the match-up against Baylor with a concussion. As the Mountaineers head into a game this Saturday, Sherman’s status is still listed as questionable. Still, Sherman has not gone through the usual ten days that are associated with concussion protocol.
Taz Sherman likely out against the Red Raiders
After dropping 29 points against Baylor, a career-high for Sherman, West Virginia’s leader in points per game and assists per game, left the game with a concussion with under four minutes remaining.
On Friday, the Mountaineers’ head basketball coach, Bob Huggins, addressed the media about the state of the Morgantown star.
"“He is in concussion protocol, so I have no idea.” – Bob Huggins when asked about the status of Taz Sherman."
The Mountaineers are heading into Saturday’s game coming off of a six-game losing streak and are in desperate search of a win. Though they will be returning to Morgantown to face the Red Raiders, Texas Tech is ranked No. 14 in the nation. If West Virginia wants to get their season back on track, they need to snap their losing streak, and it needs to happen soon.
Sherman is without question the Mountaineers’ most efficient player on offense. Sherman averages nearly 19 points per game and is shooting 43.2 percent from the floor on the season. West Virginia’s chances to defeat Texas Tech are considerably lower without Sherman on the floor.
Coach Huggins would go on to address the decision-making process surrounding Sherman’s injury.
"“That’s our medical group, and it should be. They’re going to decide what the protocol is.”"
As coach Huggins stated, the decision is out of his hands, and the Mountaineers’ medical staff will likely make the final call on that front.
Though there are no set amount of days that Sherman would need to sit out, most concussion treatment requires athletes to sit out at least ten days. Even if Sherman is ready to play on Saturday (six days since his injury), there is a good chance he has not participated in game-planning or practices during the week.
Regardless of Sherman’s status, the Mountaineers will need to play as they did against Baylor and then some to defeat the 14th-ranked Red Raiders.