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Stanford hoops received bad news Tuesday afternoon when it was announced that Reid Travis would not be returning to the Cardinal lineup for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
Travis has been a promising young player for the fans in Maples Pavilion ever since the 5-star high school recruit came to the Farm. Travis was averaging 12.8 points per game and 7.1 rebounds for the Cardinal in the first 8 games of this season. His left leg had been troubling him and kept him off the floor.
Stanford's Reid Travis (stress fracture) will miss the remainder of the season, per release.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 23, 2016
The 6'8" 240-pound sophomore forward is physically imposing in the paint. Stanford hoops and its fans were hoping Travis would be able to return to help Johnny Dawkins' struggling squad. Those hopes are now dashed. Probably wisely so.
Having played his last game on December 15, 2015, and only making 8 appearance for Stanford, it is possible that Travis can qualify for a medical hardship waiver. If the NCAA awards Travis the waiver, he will not have burned his sophomore year of eligibility and will return next season as a sophomore. It is likely that he will be given a medical redshirt.
No surprise here: @stanfordbball applying for a medical hardship waiver for soph F Reid Travis (stress reaction). He's done this season.
— Tom FitzGerald (@tomgfitzgerald) February 23, 2016
The Stanford hoops season has not gone as planned. While the Cardinal played a difficult non-conference schedule, the early season tests did not prepare them for the Pac-12 conference schedule. With a 13-12 record and the 10th position in the Pac-12 standings, the Cardinal find themselves on the NIT bubble.
Even if Travis were healthy enough to play at this point, the benefit it could provide wouldn't come close to the cost of using up a year of eligibility on the talented Minnesotan big man.