Rutgers basketball forward Mawot Mag out for season with torn ACL
Rutgers basketball is going to be without one of its biggest all-around contributors for the rest of the season.
Junior forward Mawot Mag, whose improvement on both ends of the floor had been crucial to the Scarlet Knights’ success, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that will keep him out the rest of the season.
“We’re going to miss Mawot greatly,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said Tuesday in a statement. “He’s a high-energy player, a veteran presence, and the ultimate glue-guy. He’s one of our best team defenders and one of our best offensive rebounders. There’s not a better person in our program and we can’t wait to see him back on the floor in front of Rutgers Nation.”
The 6-foot-7 Mag was attempting a layup with just more than six minutes to go in the first half of Rutgers’ eventual 61-55 win over Michigan State Saturday at Madison Square Garden when he fell hard to the court. He grabbed his knee and was tended to by trainer Richard Campbell before getting up and limping toward the locker room under his own power.
Mag later returned to the bench in the second half in street clothes wearing a wrap on his knee.
Mag averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 rebounds this season while also playing stellar defense. He's been able to defend all five positions at a high level, a versatility that helps anchor a defense that is ranked second nationally and first in the Big Ten. He's also turned a corner offensively, displaying 3-point range and an ability to finish in traffic.
Without Mag, it’s likely that 6-6 junior Aundre Hyatt will move into the starting lineup – or at least receive the bulk of the minutes that Mag had been getting. Hyatt is capable, but he also was Rutgers' only consistently productive sub. Look for increased minutes for two junior reserves, Dean Reiber and Oskar Palmquist, as well as more action for promising freshman guard Derek Simpson.
From a personal perspective, it's the latest tough break for Mag, a popular and unselfish teammate with a compelling backstory. As a toddler his family fled war-torn Sudan. In high school ball he took an elbow to the face with such force that numerous teeth shifted. He was wearing braces at the time, so there was extensive gum damage as well. In January 2021, another elbow to the chops knocked out an upper tooth and rearranged a lower one. He underwent so many dental surgeries, he lost track of the number.
At 16-7 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten, can 24th-ranked Rutgers fully retain its hard-hat identity without one of its hardest hats? The Scarlet Knights are dealing with perhaps the hardest week on the schedule, visiting 18th-ranked Indiana Tuesday before tripping to Illinois Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball's Mawot Mag out for season with torn ACL
