Markelle Fultz Listed Day to Day as Huskies Maintain Status Quo
By Paul Taylor
Markelle Fultz is ruled out prior to Thursday night’s game in Colorado, as the Washington Huskies fall to a sixth consecutive loss in Conference play.
In a season where the hits keep on coming, the Washington Huskies received a particularly big blow on Thursday night in Colorado. After sitting out a shooting session earlier in the day, Markelle Fultz was officially ruled out ahead of tip-off against the Buffaloes.
Fultz has been listed as day to day, as a result of soreness and swelling in his knee. Huskies’ coach Lorenzo Romar admitted the knee has been bothering the freshman for a while.
Speaking to The Seattle Times and the rest of the media, Romar said: “This week he wasn’t able to practice.
“We sat him out. He was feeling a little better, but we decided to keep him out (tonight).”
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Even though the absence of Fultz made Colorado’s task easier, their players were frustrated by not having the chance to play against him. Derrick White in particular, expressed regret at not being able to faced the projected number one overall pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Speaking to Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press, White said: “I was bummed. I wanted to go against him. … But we couldn’t dwell on it too much.”
This regret undoubtedly came as a result of the last time these two sides met, on January 18th. On that night, Fultz destroyed Colorado with a season-high 37 points, in an enthralling 85-83 win for the Huskies.
Adding irony to the equation, that previous game against the Buffaloes was the last time the Huskies won a game. Since then, they have lost six straight, including Thursday’s rematch in Colorado.
George King lead the way for the hosts, with game-highs in points (21) and rebounds (12). In the absence of Fultz, David Crisp paced the Huskies with 16 points, while Sam Timmins grabbed a team-high 11 boards.
Despite battling gamely, the Huskies were undoubtedly affected by not having their best player on the court. Speaking to Stapleton and the rest of the media, Romar said: “It’s difficult when it’s someone you kind of build your whole offense around and he’s out.
“He does so much for our team, obviously. I did not sense our team was having a pity party … We know that when he’s not in there we’re a different basketball team.”
While appreciating Romar’s comments, the biggest issue is that even when Fultz does play, it is doing little to inspire the Huskies. With a record of 9-15 (including 2-10 in the Pac-12), they are one loss away from securing a losing record.
Perhaps best highlighting the frustrations of this season, injured forward Malik Dime walked up to a student heckler at halftime and slapped him in the face, also catching the fan next to him. As reported by Jake Shapiro of BSN Denver, Dime spoke with the fans after the game and they said they won’t be pressing charges, but it’s still possible he will receive some form of discipline.
Romar said: “I’m aware of it. I don’t know anything about the details. I will look into it.”
While the 58-year old is at it, he should find a way to translate Dime’s fighting spirit to the players on the court. Unfortunately, even that may not be enough, especially if Fultz misses any more games.
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Obviously there’s a lot to digest – the injury to Fultz, Dime’s incident with hecklers and another loss. What is your main takeaway from Thursday’s game in Colorado? Share your thoughts in the comments section.