Louisville Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 'Day-to-Day' Ahead of Pitt Matchup
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After having to miss the previous game against North Carolina, it's possible that Louisville men's basketball starting forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield might miss more time.
Speaking to the media Tuesday ahead the Cardinals' Wednesday matchup with Pitt, head coach Kenny Payne said that they were still waiting on more information to come back as it pertains to the severity of Huntley-Hatfield's foot injury.
"We know he's day-to-day," Payne said. "We're hoping to get good news, but we're still just waiting to see and get all the information.
Louisville announced just prior to their matchup with the Tar Heels last Saturday that Huntley-Hatfield would be unavailable due to an undisclosed injury, with Payne revealing after the game that it was a foot injury. The Cardinals lost 80-59.
Payne also said Tuesday that he does not "specifically know" when the injury occurred, or whether or not the injury happened in practice or in a previous game.
"I wish I did know, so we can sort of have a feel for it," he said. "We're hoping for the best. We hope that, any day now, we have more information and go from there."
Coming over from Tennessee this past offseason after spending his first year at the collegiate level with the Volunteers, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man has been inconsistent at times, but has also displayed flashes of brilliance up to this point of the season.
Starting all 17 of the games prior to last Saturday vs, UNC, he leads Louisville in rebounding at 6.0 boards per game, with his 7.5 points per game coming in at fourth, and his 47.6 shooting percentage trailing only Sydney Curry's 57.6 percent amongst players who average double-digit minutes played per game.
Huntley-Hatfield had a minor role at Tennessee through the first three months of the 2021-22 season, but was inserted into the starting rotation for the final 13 games of the season following a season-ending injury to Olivier Nkamhoua. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 45.4 percent shooting in his lone season with the Vols.
The Clarksville, Tenn. native was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, and ranked as the No. 26 player in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. He was formerly the No. 4 player in the Class of 2022, according to ESPN, before reclassifying to 2021.
Louisville (2-16, 0-7 ACC) will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 18 to host Pitt (12-6, 5-2 ACC). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Brandon Huntley-Hatfield: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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