You may not know the name Maurice Creek, but then, he's only a freshman basketball player at Indiana. And who pays attention to Indiana basketball anymore?
Indiana’s Star Freshman, Maurice Creek, Out For The Year
Well, Maurice Creek is going to change that.
It just won’t happen this year.
The freshman guard from Washington D.C., who’d been leading Indiana in scoring at 17.6 ppg, suffered a season-ending injury that IU coach Tom Crean called a “worst case scenario.” Our Indiana blog, Crimson Quarry, offers some more thoughts:
Maurice Creek fractured his kneecap and will miss the rest of the season. He will have surgery today in Indianapolis, per Tom Crean's postgame comments. It's a shame for Creek personally, for his teammates, and for the program that such a promising season will end like this, too early to make an impact in the Big Ten but too late for a medical redshirt.
Obviously, my focus on the program impact should in no way be construed as minimizing the impact on Maurice Creek as a person. He came from 500 miles away to play at Indiana, and now he will be stuck in a wheelchair or on crutches for the foreseeable future, with no hope of contributing to what now looks like a very grim Big Ten season. That's horrible for him personally, not to mention the pain and frustration of the phyisical recovery and rehab. Of course, it affects the team in a number of ways that will reach beyond this year.
For the immediate future, of course the loss of IU's most talented player, most polished freshman, and leading scorer dramatically decreases the odds that IU will improve upon last year's 1-17 Big Ten record. Also, it means that even presuming Creek is ready for 2010-11, he will have only 12 games of experience, and will have played only four games (Ole Miss, Maryland, Pitt, and Kentucky), against major competition. In other words, the most important player on IU's roster next year will have less than half a season of experience. Really, it seems like a practical joke at this point.
There couldn't have been a worse injury to a better player at a worse time.
It really is a shame; Indiana’s a program headed in the right direction, and Creek looked like a player with the potential to usher in a new era for the Hoosiers. The catalyst for years of success--because with Tom Crean in charge, the future in Bloomington is certainly bright. And yet, this injury certainly casts a pall over the immediate future for that program, and if Creek’s to usher in a new era, Indiana’s rabid fanbase will have to wait a year.
Like I said, a shame.
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