Southern Miss men's basketball shuts down injured guard Neftali Alvarez for the season
HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss men’s basketball announced Wednesday that guard Neftali Alvarez will not play for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Alvarez underwent foot surgery in October, which has kept him out for the entire season. The graduate student will have one year of eligibility remaining.
The move is not a surprise; coach Jay Ladner came out publicly last month that it was a possibility, depending on Andre Curbelo’s eligibility waiver. When Curbelo was granted the ability to play, Alvarez’s services were no longer as essential, with Curbelo and Mo Arnold manning the point guard spot.
And with 13 games already played, the Golden Eagles (6-7, 0-1 Sun Belt Conference) don’t believe it’s worth burning his final year of eligibility for half of a season.
“He went to the doctor last week and had a great report,” Ladner said. “He’s actually ahead of schedule.
“If we were in a real bind, we could probably push the issue, but with missing half the season and then you kind of look ahead to next season, we’re just gonna bite the bullet. We’ve talked to Nefta about it and he feels the same way. He would like to have a year to prepare and get ready.”
Alvarez played high school basketball at Miami Christian under current Southern Miss associate head coach Juan Cardona. He began his college career at Fairfield in 2018-19 before spending three seasons at Mercer. Alvarez joined Southern Miss last season, but played just 15 games because of an injury.
Alvarez was tied for second on last season's Sun Belt championship team with 2.9 assists per game and was expected to play a key role as a distributor this season. He is also second on the team among returning scorers at 7.8 per game.
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The first thing out of Ladner’s mouth Wednesday was an acknowledgment of frustration.
“6-7 is unacceptable,” he said.
Southern Miss was routed 88-67 on Saturday at Georgia Southern (1-12, 0-1) to open conference play. It was the Golden Eagles' third loss in four games and the fifth time in the past seven games that they’ve surrendered at least 79 points.
Ladner mentioned they are making tweaks to their defensive approach, as well as exploring possible lineup changes. He did not reveal specifics, but did share they expect to have the ball in Curbelo’s hands more often.
“Our players know this, we gotta do better,” Ladner said. “It’s certainly not a lack of buy-in. I love our players. Wouldn’t trade them. We are just kind of searching for our soul, so to speak.”
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss basketball shuts down Neftali Alvarez for the season
