Georgia Tech guard Bubba Parham will not play for the remainder of the season because of continuing issues with his knees, coach Josh Pastner said Friday. Parham had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee before the season and returned to play two games before soreness in both knees prevented him from continuing to play. Parham’s last game was Jan. 4 at Duke.
Pastner had indicated since then his doubts about Parham returning to play this season, but made a conclusive statement about the guard’s prospects Friday.
While saying the decision ultimately was Parham’s, Pastner said “his knees are in such not good shape that he should get a medical redshirt and have another year of eligibility. But he’s not going to play the rest of the season.”
Parham appears to have a solid case for a medical hardship waiver, which would grant him another season of eligibility. It would be a rare sixth college season, as the Brookwood High grad played two seasons at VMI, played two seasons at Tech after transferring and then elected to return this season to play the extra COVID-19 season of eligibility granted by the NCAA.
Parham was expected to provide offensive punch, ballhandling and veteran presence within an inexperienced guard group. He averaged 6.7 points per game last season along with an impressive 36/13 assist/turnover ratio, the highest among any of the players in the rotation.
