[UPDATED, Thursday, 1:30 p.m.]
Junior forward Mark Yelovich suffered a broken metatarsal shaft during Friday’s season opener against IPFW.
Head Coach Lennox Forrester and Yelovich confirmed the junior will be out for the remainder of the season, and redshirted.
Yelovich was cramping during the game, but played through his injury, scoring 15 points. He went down in a heap of pain after scoring a layup with 5:25 left in the second half to cut the Cougars deficit to nine points.
Yelovich said the cramping issues he was having might have contributed to the extent of his injury.
“I knew it was serious after I did it,” Yelovich said. “I went out of the game for a little bit and it wasn’t too bad. I was limping around towards the end and the pain was getting worse.”
Yelovich was assisted off the court by Head Athletic Trainer Gerry Schlemer and at the time did not think the injury was serious.
“[Schlemer] said he didn’t think I would have broken it and I would be good for Sunday,” Yelovich said. “After the game I went home and couldn’t walk. It was swollen and bruised. I thought man, this isn’t good.”
Yelovich had X-rays done on Monday after Sunday’s against Illinois State. He was in attendance for the Cougars 92-68 loss to the redbirds, and traveled with the team on crutches.
I don’t exactly know the time it happened,” Yelovich said. “A little before that I knew I was kind of messed up and a sharp pain went through my foot when I went up and made the layup.”
The injury will keep Yelovich out for the remainder of the season. He will be in a cast for six weeks, and then recover for four weeks.
Forrester said the Cougars will miss what Yelovich brings to the floor, as a two-time All-Independent selection and the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.
“You never want injuries because everyone wants to play, but at the same time, the positive you can look at is the fact he will be eligible for post-season play for a year, and two years of play in the conference,” Forrester said. “He will be a leader like he was before, and him being a year older will help him.”
A positive of the injury for Yelovich is its timing. Because he played in just a single game, he is eligible for a medical redshirt, and will be eligible as a junior next season and can return in 2012-2013 for SIUE’s first season eligible for the NCAA tournament.
“It’s pretty frustring, but it happened early enough so I can save my year and get it back,” Yelovich said. “After you work out all off-season and get ready for this moment it’s frustrating. But there are some positives. I can be here longer when the conference counts.”
In the meantime, Forrester said the Cougars will look more to David Boarden, Michael Messer and Anthony Mitchell to fill Yelovich’s position at power forward.
“There are little bits and pieces we can use,” Forrester said. “We have some bodies to pick up the pieces Mark will leave behind.”
The Cougars will also have junior college forward Abel Tillman and freshman point guard Gerald Jones returning from early season suspensions Saturday when the Cougars battle Division III MacMurray at the Vadalabene Center.
“They’ll be back Saturday, and that’s good for them to get back and get going against a DIII team to see where they are at,” Yelovich said.
Yelovich did not travel with the team Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky.
“I was following the gametracker,” Yelovich said. “I think they will be alright if they can take care of the ball and allow Nik [Bundalo] to take it in. I think they can win some games. Coach told me they are getting better every day and I hope for the best and believe they can win. That’s all I can do.”
5 comments:
we fucked....point blank
we may win aginast the non-d1 teams
fuck this blows
I do not think we can win even games against non D I teams....I know that we cannot rely on one player but the rest of the team needs to get their heads out of thier butts now.....I know the talent is there....We need to shoot better and run the floor better....This actually might be a blessing in disguise to be honest....Might open up the floor for the likes of Chatt and Wickware Murphy and hopefully sometime Tillman and Jones .....these guys are our athletes...Boarden needs to D up like a maniac Mitchell plays within himself and then if we need Bundalo to go biggie dog style...
Should have told the whole story lol Broken fifth metatarsal one of the most commmon broken bones in the foot.....reason he will miss the restof the season is because it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to heal and then you have about 4 weeks to see if it does not break again because it is a weight bearing bone....Smart decision dont waste a year........Question though is Tillman done at SIUe or what?
Im not worried about the non D1 teams they won the exhibition without Yelovich. (although it was ugly) Also, they were without other players. This season doesn't mean anything anyways. I think it will be good for them to play without Mark. When he comes back next year they will just be that much better getting time without him. I would rather have him in 2012-2013 than this year anyways. I think they will pull out a few games this year late when we have all those home games. The other teams in the bottom bracket of Vegas tourney are pretty horrible.
I have to call Mark back today to get some more information. I left him a facebook message and I missed his call last night. Will ask about Tillman and Jones, forgot about it again when I called Forrester. I agree with the last poster, it's going to be a good thing to have him back in 2012-2013. Bigger and stronger. This season can be a wash and not have any affect anyways.
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