[GoMarquette.com] Mbakwe To Miss 2007-08 Campaign With Knee Injury

[ToddRosiakSays]

Mbakwe done for season

The Marquette Golden Eagles suffered an unexpected and costly blow late Thursday when it was determined Trevor Mbakwe will miss the season because of an injured left knee.

"He's devastated by it, as the team is," said coach Tom Crean. "We had a great practice (Thursday) but we had just learned what was going on right before, and then we did another MRI. They were working on it late into the night to determine what exactly needed to be done. They put it together this morning, we said this is the best thing, and let's do it."

Mbakwe, a freshman forward, originally injured the knee in a collision with Dominic James during a practice session early last week. Mbakwe missed four days but eventually returned and took part in both a public practice session last Friday and a workout with Kansas State on Saturday.

Mbakwe practiced with the team as late as Tuesday, and didn't appear to be limited in any way at the time.

"He was out, then he was cleared," said Crean. "I don't even think it was pain. I think it was just some swelling. If you asked him if his knee hurt, he probably would have told you yeah, but it was not anything compared to what they thought it should have been or what it would be over time. There was no choice."

The injury, referred to as an isolated fibular collateral ligament sprain, will require surgery. The surgery is also expected to help correct a pre-existing problem that had bothered Mbakwe while he was playing in high school.

"Through the course of the process of determining what was wrong, there were other things that were noticed that can all be fixed now, and taken care of to give him the chance to have a career that we feel he's capable of and he deserves," Crean said.

Mbakwe will redshirt this season, and have four seasons of eligibility beginning in 2008.

With the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Mbakwe out, the Golden Eagles' depth on the front line will be tested even more. Seniors Ousmane Barro and Dan Fitzgerald - both likely starters up front - and sophomore Lazar Hayward will need to shoulder even more of the rebounding and defensive burden, while junior Dwight Burke and possibly even freshman Patrick Hazel could see an increase in minutes as well.

"We'll look for improvement in everybody like we have been and some other people will have to step up - certainly in the ability to rebound the ball," Crean said. "He's one of our two leading rebounders in the practices he's been involved in. We'll have to build through that, and if we're a team of guys that compete the way I think they're capable of competing, I think they will. That's the thing that sports teaches you - you've got to deal with adversity."

It's been a tough couple of months for Mbakwe, who missed nearly six weeks of off-season training with the team while the NCAA Clearinghouse scrutinized a summer course he took at a high school in St. Paul, Minn. Mbakwe was eventually ruled a full qualifier and cleared to play on Oct. 9.

"He took it very hard. It's a very emotional thing. I've known him longer than anybody here, but I'm certainly not the only one that has a great relationship with him. His teammates really care a lot about him. There was a real bond that was built during the time that he was out. They certainly know what he's capable of as a player."

http://blogs.jsonline.com/muhoops/archive/2007/11/02/mbakwe-done-for-season.aspx

[Henry Sugar]

poop

[GoMarquetteSays]

Mbakwe To Miss 2007-08 Campaign With Knee Injury
         

Milwaukee - Freshman forward Trevor Mbakwe of the Marquette University men's basketball team will miss the 2007-08 season due to an isolated fibular collateral ligament sprain to his left knee.

Mbakwe will redshirt in 2007-08 and have four seasons of eligibility remaining. The St. Paul, Minn., native will have surgery in the coming weeks and immediately begin the rehabilitation process.

"After evaluating the injury it was determined this was something Trevor wasn't going to be able to play through," head coach Tom Crean said. "We didn't want to put Trevor's future in question and feel it's in his best interest to have surgery now."

Mbakwe's surgery will also allow the opportunity to address a pre-existing condition in the same knee, which has served as a consistent source of pain and would have limited his productivity this season.

         

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/110207aaa.html
         

[rocky_warrior]

DId some cleanup, and merged these two.  Also, Rosiak's blog is updated with some more details and quotes.

[sv48]

thats a poopy news 

[spiral97]

Ugh.. what a punch to the gut.. not so much because of this year's team (while he'll definitely be missed I still think we got good talent in place) but more so for him.. to have the back and forth of the "will I be cleared or not" thing and then a month after starting his college career to have to deal with this too.  The redshirt helps him a lot though.  Hopefully he'll spend it helping with the scouting and analyzing film (assuming all that is allowed under the redshirt terms).

[MUEng92]

Son of a nutcracker!

I got a call from my wife this morning that she had a flat tire and needed me to change the tire while she took my daughter to a doctors appointment.  As I pulled out of the parking lot to meet my wife, I heard them announce it on 1510AM.  Crappy morning all the way around.

[ecompt]

how long before Murff blames it on TC's tough practices? Best of luck, Trevor. Get well soon.

[77ncaachamps]

It's all DJ's fault!