Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson was granted a medical hardship waiver on Wednesday, allowing him to return to the Hoosiers for another season of eligibility.
Johnson broke his foot in the Hoosiers loss at Kansas on Dec. 17 and later had surgery. Near the end of the season, there was discussion about Johnson returning to Indiana's rotation, but Johnson and Hoosier head coach Mike Woodson and staff agreed that it would be best to keep Johnson on the bench and hope for the waiver, which has now been granted.
"We are very happy for Xavier and his family and can't wait to have him be a key member of our program, next season," Woodson said in a statement. "I know this year was challenging for him, but he brought a positive attitude every day and I believe he will bring a great deal to our team next season because of the adversity he has faced."
In 11 games before breaking his foot, Johnson was averaging 9.9 points and 3.3 rebounds with 4.9 assists a game. But in 2021-22, Johnson was named Big Ten honorable mention while averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game for Indiana.
Johnson returns to an Indiana team that loses likely NBA Draft selection Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino, along with program stalwart Race Thompson at the four. However, the Hoosiers are slated to return guard Trey Galloway in the backcourt and Indiana has added transfers Payton Sparks (Ball State) and former top-10 national recruit Kel'el Ware (Oregon) via the portal this spring.
Johnson started his career at Pitt and played three seasons for the Panthers before transferring to Indiana prior to the 2021-22 season. At Pitt, Johnson averaged 13.7 points per game and shot a solid 33.6 percent from the perimeter. Johnson improved as a shooter at Indiana, making 38.3 percent of his 3-pointers in 2021-22 while taking close to 3.0 attempts a game.
A former three-star recruit in the Class of 2018, Johnson was the 42nd-ranked point guard in his class.
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