Maurice Creek suffers torn Achilles, undergoes surgery
Per IU Media Relations:
Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has announced that junior guard Maurice Creek underwent surgery today to repair a torn Achilles tendon he suffered away from the basketball court in his left leg. His status for the upcoming season has not been determined.
“All or our energy is devoted to Maurice in helping him through this latest setback,” said Crean. “I know he and his family have always appreciated the thoughts and prayers they receive from Hoosier Nation.”
It is the third serious injury he has suffered in the past 22 months. Creek had surgery to repair a broken left patella in late December of 2009 and last year he was shut down after a stress fracture in his right patella ended his season in January. This latest injury had no impact on either of his previous injuries to his knees.
QuickLink
Yahoo! Sports: Q-and-A with Indiana coach Tom Crean
Q: How is Maurice Creek coming along after last year’s season-ending knee injury?
A: “He’s not 100 percent. He’s not ready to practice. He’s done some one-on-one in limited settings but it hasn’t been with his teammates, unless he’s sneaking in here late at night and doing that along with his shooting drills, which I don’t think he is. He’s smarter than that. We’re not in a rush with him. His rehabilitation has been fantastic. He’s getting stronger. Right now he’s doing things in controlled settings with managers and coaches. We haven’t put him into live action drills yet. There’s not a time period on that just yet. He was evaluated at length again [on Friday]. He’s definitely doing the right things. The mental part was the biggest hurdle for him last year, as far as overcoming that injury. As a coach I’m more concerned with that than the physical aspect, because we’re certainly not going to put him out there and ask him to do things that the doctors and trainers tell him he can’t do.”
Q: You lost the final nine games of the 2010-11 season. What was the most frustrating aspect of that streak?
A: “l look at those losses and say, “What’s the common denominator in those games?” That’s what we’re focused on more than anything. We’ve got to cut down our fouling in a big way. We averaged 22 fouls a game last season and finished last. Ohio State averaged 15 fouls a game and won the league. Right there, that statistic alone, you put a bright light on that, because that’s a big deal. You know injuries play into it and you know that not having enough scoring threats plays into it. But when the new year comes, you don’t focus on any of that. You just focus on what you can do to get better and what you can eliminate that has been getting you beat. It’s time for us to string some successes together, not just one here and there.”
An early look at the 2011-2012 backcourt
by Alex Bozich in Commentary | August 22nd, 2011
It’s been a quiet couple of weeks since the conclusion of the July evaluation period, but it’s time to ramp back up once again as the official start of basketball practice is less than eight weeks away.
We’ll have comprehensive player-by-player previews as the start of the season grows closer, but here’s an early look at some of the storylines to keep an eye on with next season’s backcourt:
– A battle for minutes: Of the twelve scholarship players on Indiana’s roster, eight will fight for minutes in the backcourt rotation. And for the first time since his arrival in Bloomington, Tom Crean should have enough depth to allocate minutes to those will defend the best on a consistent basis. An inability to stop penetration from the perimeter or close out on shooters were two of the many reasons the Hoosiers finished as the worst defensive team in the Big Ten last season. If Indiana hopes to climb out of the conference cellar in season four of Crean’s tenure, progress will be largely determined by an improved defensive presence in the backcourt.
– Will Jordan Hulls take the leadership reigns? Recent comments by Derek Elston suggest that the junior guard from Bloomington is taking on the role of team leader this offseason and if that spills over into the season, it will be a huge positive moving forward. The Hoosiers have been without a player that the coaching staff can rely on as an on-court extension of themselves the past three seasons. Many believed Jeremiah Rivers might develop into that role upon his arrival from Georgetown, but that never materialized. In Hulls, the Hoosiers might finally have that guy.
– Last call for Verdell Jones: It was a mixed bag of results for the Champaign native in his junior season in Bloomington. On one hand, Jones became the 33rd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point barrier. On the other hand, his 83 turnovers were a team-high and Jones struggled from both the foul line (67.2 percent) and the 3-point line (29.8 percent). The 6-foot-5 guard has been at his best in an IU uniform when he relies on his solid mid-range game. The scoring and ball handling burdens may lessen on Jones as a senior, but improved efficiency and better decision making will go a long way in defining his final collegiate season.
That’s a Wrap: Maurice Creek
by Zachary Osterman in Commentary | March 21st, 2011
Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Maurice Creek.
Final Stats (18 games): 8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 38.9% FG, 80.8% FT in 28.2 minutes per game
The player about which almost everyone has an opinion is the same one most Indiana fans would probably rather not talk about.
Maurice Creek was, at one time, the next great Indiana basketball player. What unfortunately remains to be seen is if he’ll ever match that potential again.
By now, I’m assuming I don’t need to tell you about his freshman scoring average, or his 31 points against Kentucky in 2009. On potential ability alone, Creek will always remain a prodigious talent.
A few things ought be noted about Creek’s newest knee injury setback:
- It wasn’t the same knee.
- It wasn’t a full fracture, according to Tom Crean, but rather a stress fracture that simply required too much time off for Creek to finish out what was already a pretty old season.
- Assuming this injury is not so severe as the last, rehabilitation might not be as arduous a process, but obviously that’s not something we would say with too much certainty.
- This is a bit less than objective, but Creek hasn’t seemed to be cutting the forlorn figure of a player for whom things just won’t ever work out. Actually sort of the opposite. That’s really, really, ridiculously opinionated and shouldn’t be lent full force of merit, but it’s an observation nonetheless.
2011-2012 Player Profile: Maurice Creek
It’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Maurice Creek.
Maurice Creek’s 2011-2012 season won’t produce the much anticipated comeback that many were hoping to witness.
For the third time in 22 months, the Maryland native suffered a serious injury and as a result, Creek will miss the entire season. The latest setback — a torn left Achilles – occurred just days before the Hoosiers reached the official start of practice.
What does the injury mean for Creek’s future? How it will affect this year’s team? Let’s dive in.
Creek will redshirt and assuming he’s able to return after a full season off, he would be a member of the 2014 graduating class with Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey. What’s not certain, however, is that he’ll ever be the same player that lit up Kentucky for 31 points at Assembly Hall in December of 2009. Coming back from one major injury is difficult enough. But three? An uncertain road lies ahead for Creek.
“It is really hard to put into context what has happened with him,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said about Creek’s injury situation. “But the one thing that I can put into context is that he is one tough young man. He embodies the spirit that we want this program to be about. When you look at a situation where, not only has he had one major injury and surgery, not only has he had two major injuries and surgeries, but he has now had three in less than 22 months.”
Continue reading this post »