According to a tweet, University of North Carolina guard Dexter Strickland has finally been cleared to play for the Tar Heels after a seven month hiatus during which Strickland was recovering from a torn ACL. Strickland suffered the injury during a regular season game against Virginia on January 19th this year. Strickland was able to have surgery to repair the ACL and a damaged meniscus on Feb. 9 and in June he was given the okay to start running.
On Monday, Strickland shared the news via Twitter.
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/DStrick01/status/240156716094849024"]
Short, sweet and to the point. It’s refreshing and a great sign that he is ecstatic to come back and play. Words from the mouth of the athlete. It can’t get any better than that.
Strickland played in 19 games last season, averaging 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. The guard, who made a name for himself last season as an exceptional perimeter defender, was definitely missed during the Tar Heels’ tournament run.
Strickland’s role is expected to expand this season as he is set to help replace Kendall Marshall in the back court. Marshall opted to enter the NBA draft and is now with the Phoenix Suns. This is the time for Strickland to prove himself.
Strickland will have some competition to grab the starting spot due to the arrival of freshman point guard Marcus Paige, a top-25 recruit out of Iowa. Paige, like Marshall, is a crafty left-hander with exceptional play-making abilities.
All of “Tar Heel Nation” is certainly optimistic about the return of their senior guard.
