"Deserves a medical redshirt tbh": College hoops fans hold out hope for Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer after he suffers season-ending injury

Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins announced that senior guard Brooks Barnhizer would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a foot injury that will require surgery.

Reddit user r/CollegeBasketball posted a screenshot from journalist Anna Watson's post and users commented about the untimely end to Barnhizer's season.

"Deserves a medical redshirt tbh. Dude's everything that’s right about college bball."

A Reddit user shares their belief that Brooks Barnhizer should receive a medical redshirt.

"Dude is so tough. Sucks that his year has been so full of injuries."

Another user shares their thoughts on Brooks Barnhizer's season-ending injury.

Some fans shared their personal feelings of sympathy toward the guard.

"Absolutely gutted. He's one of the toughest kids I've ever seen. Really sucks for him to go out this way."

"Devastated about this. I loved watching him play."

Reddit users comment on Brooks Barnhizer's season being cut short by injury.

Others shared that the announcement comes as no surprise, as Barnhizer hadn't been playing the same since injuring his foot in the Wildcats' loss to No. 9 Michigan State on Jan. 12.

"He hasn’t looked right for a while (though he played well against IU) so I kind of saw this coming. Collins has been hinting that he’s playing through an injury the last few press conferences, it was just a matter of it getting bad enough to pull the plug."

A Reddit user shares that they saw the end of Brooks Barnhizer's season coming.

What does the season-ending injury mean for Brooks Barnhizer's future?

Brooks Barnhizer hasn't had an easy ride when it comes to injuries. After emerging as a starter in his junior season, the guard injured his foot in the offseason. The injury resulted in him missing Northwestern's exhibition games in Europe and most of the summer and fall.

Despite missing the first four games of his senior season, Barnhizer battled back for his best season so far. Before his season was cut short, he was averaging 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, all career highs. The senior guard led the NCAA with five 20-point, 10-rebound, five-assist games this season. He also led the Big Ten with eight 20-point, 10-rebound outings.

“It’s a huge void. Brooks is a first-team All-Big Ten player,” Collins said. “He was our leader. He’s like a gladiator. We fed off that nature.”

Barnhizer may have worn a Wildcats uniform for the last time. However, Collins made a point of explaining that the injury was "not career-ending, it's season-ending."

As Reddit user BradOverwood suggested, Barnhizer could apply for a medical redshirt at the end of the season. However, medical redshirts are usually granted to athletes who missed the majority of their season. The Northwestern guard is likely headed to the NBA next year.