LIU Brooklyn star Julian Boyd re-tore his ACL and his career is likely over.
“I feel so badly for Julian, he has worked tirelessly over the past year to rehabilitate his knee,” head coach Jack Perri said in a statement. “He was determined to make it back on the court in whatever capacity he could. He has such an incredible work ethic that you thought if anyone could do it, he could. I just can’t help but feel sick with all that he has gone through and had to deal with over his career. He is truly a special person and competitor that helped LIU Brooklyn basketball achieve unparalleled heights.”
Boyd was recently cleared to begin practicing with the Blackbirds on a limited basis, but re-injured the same right knee that he had hurt twice before in a non-contact drill on Dec. 26 in Texas. An MRI taken Thursday revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the same injury he sustained in a game against Rice on Dec. 12, 2012.
The 6-7 forward concludes his illustrious career with LIU Brooklyn ranked 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,467 points. Boyd also collected 843 rebounds in his three-plus seasons on the court to stand sixth in LIU history.
As a freshman he was named 2008-09 NEC Rookie of the Year after earning Rookie of the Week honors a league-high six times. He scored 17 points in a narrow NEC quarterfinal loss to Quinnipiac, including the game-tying three-pointer as time expired in regulation to send the contest to overtime.
During the summer of 2009, Boyd was diagnosed with noncompaction cardiomyopathy and was forced to miss the 2009-10 season. Boyd was cleared to return the following year and came back with a vengeance. He earned All-NEC First Team honors and led the Blackbirds to 27 wins and the first of three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2011-12, Boyd once again earned first team all-league honors and added a Player of the Year trophy to his mantle after leading the team in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg). He was named NEC Tournament MVP as he helped LIU to a second straight NEC Tournament title.
Boyd was averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game last season through eight games before his first knee injury. LIU Brooklyn appealed for and was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA due to medical hardship.
Boyd came to LIU Brooklyn out of Taft High School in San Antonio, Texas. He was named San Antonio Express-News Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 21.6 points and 11.7 rebounds, and also earned District 28-5A Most Valuable Player and TABC All-State honors.
Release: LIU-Brooklyn
