Bad news on Rayshaun Hammonds

Sophomore forward Rayshaun Hammonds underwent surgery Thursday at Athens Regional Hospital to repair a fracture in his right foot, school officials announced.

The news comes hours after head coach Tom Crean announced following Wednesday's loss to Missouri that he would miss the rest of the year.

Hammonds, who injured his foot during Georgia’s 80-64 loss at Ole Miss on Feb. 23, didn't play in the loss to Missouri after re-aggravating the injury during Georgia’s 61-55 victory over Florida. Hammonds sat out the previous contest against Auburn.

The Norcross native played five minutes against the Gators before a player on the Florida squad inadvertently stepped on his right foot, sending Hammonds back to the bench.

“We’ll have a statement out later, but right now I do not see him being able to play,” Crean said. “He’s going to be out.”

Hammonds’ loss is obviously a significant blow for the Bulldogs (11-19, 2-15), who close out the regular season Saturday at South Carolina before heading to Nashville for Wednesday’s first round of the SEC Tournament.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore is Georgia’s only other player in double-figures and its second-best rebounder, averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 boards, respectively.

“Rayshaun, we’re missing him a lot,” sophomore Nicolas Claxton said prior to Crean’s announcement. “He brings a lot to the table and his play really helps us out a lot stretching the floor. Me and Rayshaun play a lot together, and that opens up the court for me, but with the loss, all we can do is keep going and stay positive.”