Aaron Falzon out for season after undergoing knee surgery

Northwestern sophomore forward Aaron Falzon underwent knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2016-2017 season, the program announced Sunday. He is eligible to seek a medical hardship waiver and redshirt this season.

The Newton, Massachusetts native played in all 32 games last season, including 29 starts, and averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was limited to just three games this season and was severely hindered by the injury, only playing 20 total minutes.

The three-point marksman hit 63 three-pointers as a freshman, the second-most for a freshman in program history. In his absence, the Wildcats have used mainly Vic Law, Scottie Lindsey and Sanjay Lumpkin on the wing. Gavin Skelly had seen time there as well before Dererk Pardon’s injury forced Skelly to move almost exclusively to the center position with Barret Benson.

Pardon is expected to return this year, which could allow Skelly to play some power forward again. Nathan Taphorn will also be an end-of-the-rotation guy who should see spot duty and perhaps more if the matchup or foul trouble calls for his presence.

"We all feel badly for Aaron," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said in a statement. "We were looking forward to him being a big part of our team this season. He already is on the road to recovery and we look forward to getting him back on the court and being a central piece of our program for the next three years."

NCAA rules usually require players to appear in less than 30 percent of their team’s games in a season in order to receive a medical redshirt and an extra year of eligibility. Since Falzon played in just three, he’ll be far under that threshold.

Falzon is also the second Wildcat to be put on the shelf, as freshman Rapolas Ivanauskas is out for the year with a shoulder injury.