Duke senior captain Amile Jefferson will miss the remainder of the season and will seek a medical hardship waiver, the team announced Saturday afternoon.
Jefferson has not played since suffering a fracture in his right foot Dec. 12. According to the team release, doctors determined his foot had not sufficiently healed to enable a comeback attempt this season.
The 6-foot-9 forward was not able to make enough progress to step back onto the court in game action, though he had been participating in practice on a limited basis in recent weeks. During games, the Philadelphia native has been in a walking boot for most of ACC play, though he did shed the extra protection for a few games midway through the conference slate before the boot reappeared.
Jefferson was averaging a double-double through nine games before going down near the end of nonconference play. To be eligible for a medical redshirt, a player may not play in more than 30 percent of his team's games, a mark Jefferson is assured to be below as Duke plays its 31st game Saturday.
The Blue Devils have misssed Jefferson's production on the glass, but have gone 14-7 in his absence heading into Saturday night's regular season finale against North Carolina. The Blue Devils will receive a double-bye in the ACC tournament with a win against the Tar Heels, but would be the No. 5 seed with a loss.
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