[Rosiak's Blog] Fulce looks ahead

[ToddRosiakSays]

Fulce looks ahead
               

This past season was one to forget for Joe Fulce.

Expected at the very least to provide some versatility, length and rebounding as a reserve on the wing, the transfer from Tyler Junior College instead saw minimal action in just 11 games after being felled by an unusual injury to his right knee prior to a scrimmage at Nebraska in early November.

Originally diagnosed as a stress reaction, it was later learned Fulce actually had a split in his kneecap, an injury that had only one prior precedent that athletic trainer Ernest Eugene could find and led to the 6-foot-7 forward ultimately being sidelined for the first 10 games of the season.

While it's unclear how much of an impact Fulce would have made, taking into consideration his slight frame and lack of experience at the Division I level, there's little doubt coach Buzz Williams would have found a place for him on MU's paper-thin front line.

Knowing that, the injury was tough to swallow for Fulce, who was recruited by Williams during Tom Crean's final season as head coach of the Golden Eagles.

"It was very frustrating, to the point where it makes you think you don’t know what to do," he said earlier this week. "But at the end of the day, it just came to the point where I had one of two choices: either I can complain about it, and sulk and whine, and be upset at myself and just go out there and play like crap.

"Or, I can be the best teammate I can, any way Coach wants me to be. Whether that’s sitting on the sidelines, cheering and jumping up and down, or if I’m in the game, getting two rebounds. So whatever I can do to help the team, I’m down for it."

While Fulce spent most of the season rooting on his teammates, he did make a significant contribution in one key game, a come-from-behind 91-82 victory at Providence on Jan. 17 in which he scored six points late in the first half to help spark the Golden Eagles.

Ultimately, he wound up playing just 62 minutes on the season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds, but his performance against the Friars showed what he's capable of at least in short bursts, and will help provide some confidence as he tries to work himself into the rotation as a junior.

"That right there was just an example of what I feel that I can do, what the team feels that I can do," he said. "But at the same time, I’m just trying to get stronger and being more consistent. The problem is that game was just one game. I have to be more consistent at this level. That’s what the Big East is all about – being consistent every night."

Williams said last month that he regretted not giving the possibility of redshirting both Fulce and/or Chris Otule (broken foot) more consideration. Fulce, for his part, isn't second-guessing the decision to remain on the active roster, especially considering he'd already played a year in prep school in addition to his year in junior college.

"That was definitely something that I really tried not to think about, didn’t really want to get into -- the whole redshirt situation," he said. "If Coach had come to me and said, ‘How do you feel about redshirting,’ we would have gone from there. But I definitely don’t have any regrets about anything or the way the situation played out. I feel everything’s just playing out the way it’s supposed to at this point."

While Fulce's role next season will be determined by a number of different factors, the condition of his knee will likely be right at the top of the list.

Watching him in an open gym session, he still appears to have plenty of explosiveness; he finished one play with a powerful two-handed dunk off the run in one game. But he appeared to come down gingerly afterward, and is still feeling the effects of the injury because it hasn't yet healed.

"Right now with my knee, everything seems to be going pretty smooth," Fulce said. "I have a little tendinitis and everything but nothing serious, nothing like that. So every day I’ve just been in the weight room with Todd (Smith), doing two-a-days, running, getting my conditioning a lot better and just working on my footwork and strength.

"Everything from last I checked with my knee and everything the fracture was either an old fracture or a new fracture; they really couldn’t tell. But it hasn’t gone away. The crack hasn’t healed or anything like that, but it’s not giving me any pain or anything. So right now, everything’s 100 percent."

Fulce also offered a little more insight into the origin of the injury, which originally was believed to have occurred in some of the Golden Eagles' initial practice sessions last October.

"They think it was probably a fracture that I had gotten in a car accident when I was younger," he said. "I don’t think they had ever caught it or anything, because I had gotten hit on that side, on my knee in the car accident. But everything’s pretty good. Just been working out and trying to keep up with my conditioning and my running."

Should Fulce's knee continue to improve and check out with the team's medical staff, he'll enter the fray for playing time in what will be a completely remade frontcourt for the 2009-'10 season.

With a number of those players vying for time also Division I neophytes, the scramble for starting jobs, reserve roles and minutes will be interesting to watch. Joining Fulce and Jimmy Butler on the wing will be freshmen Jeronne Maymon and Erik Williams, both of whom are expected to bring a new level of athleticism and skill to MU.

"It’s definitely exciting for me," Fulce said. "Everybody should be excited – we’re about to have a whole new team. We’ve got a lot of good talent coming in here. Lazar’s been phenomenal so far in the off-season. So it’s just going to be crazy how everything plays out when everybody comes in and we learn to bond together and see how this whole things plays out when we jell as a team.

"At this point all I can say is, we’re going to see how it all plays out. Everybody’s going to have to put in the work and be on the same page and everything. There’s just so much talent that’s going to be here, and I’m just ready to see what happens."

Because he played so few minutes last season, it was hard to get a handle on just what Fulce can do. He's long and springy, helping him on the offensive glass, and he can also run the floor. On the flip side, it appeared as though he struggled with concepts -- especially defensively.

On his laundry list of things he's working on in the off-season, that area is already being addressed, he said.

"I’d like to focus more on my ball-handling, my footwork," said Fulce. "Defensively I need to get a lot better. Working on being able to guard out on the wing a little bit more, and working on being a lot more physical down low."

As far as what he's expecting as a junior, Fulce is keeping an open mind. Considering all the time and games he missed last season, it stands to reason he'd settle for remaining healthy and getting himself into the mix as a regular contributor in some form or fashion.

"I try to not make it complicated," he said. "So all I do, really, is stay positive, keep working every single day to get better, and when you wake up in the morning say, ‘I’m just going to work today.’ Don’t worry about the next day, the next week. Just take it one day at a time, and see how it plays out."
               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/46326067.html
               

[Thomas' Danish Delight]

Almost on cue, Rosiak delivers a report on Fulce!

I'm pretty sure dude reads these boards, and dude definitely delivers.

I hope Fulce has recovered as best as he can and is able to contribute like he did at PC with consistency.  Man...I am SO freakin' excited to watch the new team.

[NCMUFan]

Go Joe, great attitude!  Hope the knee doesn't bother you and thank you for the effort.

[77ncaachamps]

Almost on cue, Rosiak delivers a report on Fulce!

I'm pretty sure dude reads these boards, and dude definitely delivers.

I hope Fulce has recovered as best as he can and is able to contribute like he did at PC with consistency.  Man...I am SO freakin' excited to watch the new team.

True on the Fulce article's timing.

Now...I wonder how Dwight Buycks is doing?

[Markusquette]

Almost on cue, Rosiak delivers a report on Fulce!

I'm pretty sure dude reads these boards, and dude definitely delivers.

I hope Fulce has recovered as best as he can and is able to contribute like he did at PC with consistency.  Man...I am SO freakin' excited to watch the new team.

I second that man.  Is it weird that I was more excited to see our new team before this past season even started?  I've followed the recruiting so much that I just can't wait to see our new guys play.

[LON]

The attitude these kids display makes me really proud to be a supporter of this program.

[VegasWarrior77]

Seeing Joe last year - he always seemed upbeat and supportive of his teammates.  I think he's a great team player and he will give MU some quality minutes this year!

[ATWizJr]

I just hope that he doesn't do more damage to his knee.  He's going to need it for a long time after BB is through.  Maybe he should consider surgery and rehab and a red shirt year although he can probably have the repair after his career is over as well.

[bilsu]

Buzz puts his team through a very hard offseason workout. Healthy bodies get stronger, but weaknesses will show up. Fulce thinks his knee was hurt in a traffic accident when he was young. I am thinking that Buzz's offseason workout program made this weakness worse to where it became a problem. You put a lot of pressure on knees trying to pull a vehicle uphill.

[AZWarrior]

True on the Fulce article's timing.

Now...I wonder how Dwight Buycks is doing?

Nudge, nudge.  Wink, wink.   

[State]

nm

[Rollout-the-Barrel]

Buzz puts his team through a very hard offseason workout. Healthy bodies get stronger, but weaknesses will show up. Fulce thinks his knee was hurt in a traffic accident when he was young. I am thinking that Buzz's offseason workout program made this weakness worse to where it became a problem. You put a lot of pressure on knees trying to pull a vehicle uphill.

I would guess an injury like Fulce's would eventually show up during any high level sport regardless of preseason training.  A structural weakness like his will probably give him intermittent difficulty until it is healed, repaired, or he gives up high level athletics.  It will likely be something he'll just have to live with, especially in the short term.

[Golden Avalanche]

I have a knee-cap injury right now that I imagine is nothing near what a split knee-cap feels like and I have pain with every step.

I imagine Fulce will enjoy a special relationship with cortisone over the next two years.