Back spasms delay comeback of KU’s Jalen Wilson; McCormack impresses at practice
Kansas freshman forward Jalen Wilson, who recently had been cleared for full contact drills following his recovery from Nov. 11 ankle surgery, has suffered a setback in his bid to return to the Jayhawk lineup.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound native of Denton, Texas, hurt his back last Friday, a day before the KU-Tennessee game.
“He has back spasms that have nothing to do with his foot,” KU coach Bill Self said Thursday at his weekly news conference in Allen Fieldhouse.
Self explained what happened to Wilson, who had been out since the first half of the KU-UNC Greensboro game on Nov. 8. Since then, Self has had a wait-and-see attitude regarding whether Wilson would be used in games at some point during conference play or take a medical redshirt.
“We were getting ready to play Tennessee (last Saturday). Going into that Friday he was thinking, ‘Hey I was full-speed yesterday and I’m getting ready to go and I’ll show you coach (that) I’m ready,’’’ Self said Thursday.
“Then in pre-practice he hurt his back and hasn’t been able to do anything since (at practice),” Self added.
It seemed possible, maybe even likely, Wilson would return to assist a KU team that has played two games (victories over Tennessee and Oklahoma State) without forwards David McCormack and Silvio De Sousa. The two players were suspended two and 12 games respectively for their roles in a brawl in the KU-Kansas State game on Jan. 21 in Allen Fieldhouse.
“We still haven’t made a decision,” Self said of possibly redshirting Wilson. “He’s not to the point he can practice because of his back. You probably could look at it if he was perfectly healthy today, it’d be 10 days from now before we’d be making a decision. It’s getting close to the point it’s probably not worth it (pulling the redshirt). We’re still going to give it a little bit more time.”
Wilson had been faring well at practice before he hurt his back, sophomore wing Ochai Agbaji said.
““The times he’s been getting reps, he’s been looking good, getting back to the pace we’ve been playing at,” Agbaji said. “He’s been doing well (but) his back set him back. Getting healthy is where he’s at now.”
McCormack suspension ends
Former starter McCormack, a 6-10 sophomore forward from Norfolk, Virginia, who has completed his two-game suspension, will come off the bench in Saturday’s 3 p.m. home game against Texas Tech, Self said Thursday.
“I think his attitude is unbelievable. He was great at practice yesterday,” Self said. “I really wanted to keep starting David (who started 17 of 18 games before his suspension), but now we’re not going to just because we only have two bigs (with De Sousa out and Mitch Lightfoot redshirting). Why let him get two fouls early? Then we don’t have a backup for Doke (Udoka Azubuike).
“It’s not a knock to him (McCormack). It’s doing what I think is best for our team,” Self added. “It doesn’t mean they (McCormack and Azubuike) won’t play some together. They won’t start out together.”
Self said he’ll be starting a four-guard lineup — Devon Dotson, Marcus Garrett, Agbaji and Christian Braun — with big man Azubuike.
“I like him in whatever role,” Self said of McCormack, who averages 7.5 points and 4.7 boards a game. “I think the starting stuff is overrated, but I do think it will give maybe Doke a little bit more freedom to play aggressive and David maybe more freedom to play aggressively too. He knows foul problems are not going to be an issue for the most part.”
McCormack has worked hard at practice during the two-game suspension, Self said.
“He feels bad about the role in which he had the other night (against K-State) even though my personal opinion is it wasn’t a violent role by any stretch,” Self said.
“He accepted the suspension. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t disagree with it. I don’t think it was anything that was awful — his role. (But) I think it would send a wrong message if he wasn’t suspended. I agree with what the league did and support that. His attitude is good. In no way is this a reflection of his character or who he is and he knows that. It’s not like he is hung up on that. He may be hung up on, ‘I let the team down. I disappointed myself. I need to control my emotions a little bit better,’ but everybody in our locker room knows the type of kid he is and he does too. He’s fine.”
Senior center Azubuike said he’s happy to have McCormack available in games again.
“He’s been doing good. At practice yesterday he came out practicing good. He took it all well. I know he’s ready,” Azubuike said.
