The Quakers could have had two fifth-year seniors on the roster next year, but both will be moving on from the program instead.
Tommy McMahon once declared that he would apply for a fifth year of eligibility, but he left the team some time in December after seeing his minutes dry up. He had missed his entire junior year with a hip problem.
Aron Cohen's case was a bit more interesting. He shared point guard duties with Kevin Egee and Harrison Gaines last season, but doctors suddenly diagnosed him with a heart condition this year. (I believe it is not immediately life-threatening, although I'm not qualified to say for sure.) Tests went on for a while, and as late as Dec. 30 coach Glen Miller said that nothing about his status was definitive. But Cohen was never cleared to step back on the floor. "I never had any issues before, which was a little weird," he told me via email. As far as next year, he is looking into teaching jobs.
The cases illustrate what a blow it is when a basketball player loses a season to injury. Unlike in football, hoopsters with medical hardships must return to school for a full year — not just a ninth semester — if they want another bite at the apple.
Tags: aron cohen, basketball, injuri, tommy mcmahon
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