Hoops Housekeeping: Tim Abromaitis, Trevor Mbakwe with serious knee injuries

Tim Abromaitis has never had knee problems.

Every athlete goes through the typical aches and pains that come with being a college basketball player -- banged knees, twisted ankles, sore backs -- but Abro had never missed time because of knee problems. Which is why, when his right knee gave out has he came to a jump-stop in a 2-on-2 drill in practice on Friday morning, the severity of his injury was shocking. No one saw this coming. And now, one of the best kids is all of college basketball may finish his collegiate career on the bench in street clothes.

"Going on the court [at practice], it felt like one of those first four games where it's just waiting to get back out there," Abromaitis told the South Bend Tribune. "I kind of had to remind myself that it's done for the season.

"I'll eventually come to grips with it, I guess. I don't know if there's any technique to getting used to it."


The injury is a crushing blow for the Irish. Already in a rebuilding year, Notre Dame will now be forced to face the rigors of the Big East schedule without their leading scorer and best player. Abro's minutes will likely end up going to freshman Pat Connaughton, another 6'6" shooter that has played well in the first seven games of his career. Scott Martin and Jerian Grant are going to be expected to boost their scoring, while sophomore point guard Eric Atkins will continue his transition to becoming the star for this team.

If there is a silver lining to the suspension that Abro had to deal with earlier in the year, its that Notre Dame has had to play without Abro.

The question now becomes whether or not Abro will apply for a sixth-year of eligibility. This is his fifth-year in college. He redshirted his sophomore season, a decision that was actually the cause of his four-game suspension earlier this year as he played in two exhibitions games. If Abro, who already has two degrees from Notre Dame, does decide to return for a sixth-season -- which isn't a guarantee at this point -- there is no indication of whether or not the NCAA will actually clear him.

Its a shame to see a great kid and a good player have his college career ended this way. Abro deserved better. Life is just unfair sometimes.

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Trevor Mbakwe tears his acl: We knew this was bad as soon as it happened.

Mbakwe crumpled awkwardly to the ground during the second half of Minnesota's loss to Dayton in the Old Spice Classic finals. He had to be carried off the court and spent the remainder of the game in tears on the bench with his knee wrapped in ice. He even tweeted from the locker room "Lord please get me through this."

All of a sudden, all the depth that Minnesota had in their front court is gone. Colton Iverson transferred to Colorado State, Mo Walker is still battling a knee injury that ended his freshman season and Ralph Sampson is battling a sprained ankle. That leaves redshirt freshman Elliott Eliason up front. I would say that Minnesota will be forced to play at a faster pace now, but they are without a point guard this season thanks to a number of transfers.

One year ago this week, Minnesota was in the top ten after a dominating performance at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament. My, how things have changed.


"My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support," said Mbakwe in a statement.

"Trevor's done everything we've asked him to do in his time here at the University of Minnesota. He's been through an awful lot," said Gopher head coach Tubby Smith. "That says a lot about his toughness to be able to recover from the things he has already endured. He had a knee surgery before (at Marquette) and for it to happen a second time, you hurt for him, but you know he's a guy that has the will power and has been through it before and can recover again."

Michael Eric reinjures his knee: Temple fans will be waiting with baited breath over the next week as the status of their team's starting center is reevaluated.

Eric injured his right patella in practice on Friday. Its the same knee in which Eric fractured his patella in February of last season, an injury that caused him to miss the final ten games of the season. Without Eric, the Owls have almost no interior presence. The 6'11" senior had been averaging 10.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 2.0 bpg while replacing Lavoy Allen up front.


Erik Murphy tears his meniscus: Florida's starting power forward suffered the injury last Thursday in practice and sat out the Gator's game against Stetson on Friday. Its unclear how much time he is going to miss, although Billy Donovan has speculated that it can be anywhere from a week or two to a couple of months.

Murphy is a major loss for Florida. His ability to shoot the ball from the four spot really spread the floor for the Gators and opened up the paint. It allowed them to use pick-and-pops in the half court and created space for penetration from Florida's talented back court. No Murphy will be a major blow heading into Friday's trip to Syracuse.


Harrison Barnes is fine: We all saw North Carolina's loss to UNLV in Vegas over the weekend, which means we also all saw the nasty fall that Barnes had in the second half. He rolled his ankle in the process and immediately headed for the bench, where he sat with his head down for the next couple of minutes. He left the arena on crutches, but that appears to have been a cautionary move, as he was off of the crutches when the team left the airport the next day.


Stephen Van Treese reinjures his knee; Rakeem Buckles returns to practice: After being healthy for just two weeks, Van Treese was injured in practice over the weekend. The timing was good, at least. Rakeem Buckles has been cleared to return to practice and should be back on the court within a week or two.


Travis Wear cuts foot while snorkeling: Exactly what it says. He needed five stitches.
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Final thought on Trevor Mbakwe's punishment

Last Trevor Mbakwe post, I swear.

The Minnesota big man has officially been allowed to return to practice and he will be playing against Purdue on Thursday night, albeit off the bench. He apologized to the team today (video via the previous link):



Minnesota also released the full transcript of what Mbakwe wrote in the facebook message that got him arrested (consider the whole thing sic):

I know we haven’t talked in forever and trust me I’m not trying to start any drama with nobody in your life or anything. I just wanted to wish u the best with everything and I hope all has been well with you and your family. I am still disappointed how everything played out and I do wish that in the future we could be cool again. Idk how u r going to take this msg hopefully its not bad but I just wanted to wish u a happy new year and send out a congrats for graduating. I’ve been well I’m finally playin bball again in everything down in miami finally got taken care of thank god. Well idk if u will respond or not but best wishes for 2011.

This only reaffirms what I wrote about Mbakwe for Beyond the Arc yesterday -- that he didn't deserve to be suspended. The message, as Tubby Smith put it, was "well intentioned but misguided." He wasn't being malicious, he was trying to make amends. To right a wrong. To rebuild a burnt bridge. (I'm out of cliche sayings.)

I also think that not starting Mbakwe and forcing him to deal with "internal" punishments -- which is coach speak for a whole bunch of running -- is the correct move. Mbakwe did, in fact, violate a no contact order. It doesn't matter what his intentions were, he broke the law. The cops had no choice but to arrest him, and when you are arrested for just cause, there needs to be some sort of repercussion.

In this case, the punishment fits the crime.

And I think the embarrassment that Mbakwe caused himself, and those close to him, with this message will probably outweigh any "internal" punishment that Tubby throws at him.
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No suspension for Trevor Mbakwe

Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe was arrested last night for violating a restraining order. If you remember, Mbakwe sat out all of last season as he dealt with legal issue surrounding an accusation that he assaulted a woman in Florida.

But according to this tweet from Myron Medcalf, the Minnesota beat writer for the Star Tribune, Minnesota sent out a release saying that "no change in Mbakwe's status." Tubby Smith also said that Mbakwe had a "lapse in judgment."

This report from Gopher Hole said that Mbakwe sent a facebook message to an ex-girlfriend that simply said "I hope all is well with you" when Mbakwe heard that she was going through a tough time in her life. If that is, in fact, the case, then a suspension probably isn't deserved as much as a dose of common sense.

We will post the entire release when it is made available.

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Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe arrested

Minnesota just can't have a normal basketball season, can it?

Last year, while they played the waiting game with Trevor Mbakwe as he dealt with a felony assault charge in Florida that kept him out the entire season, the Gophers got to watch the entire Royce White soap opera play out.

This year hasn't been much better. Devoe Joseph left the team last week, transferring to Oregon. And Monday night, Mbakwe found himself in more trouble. According to KSTP, Trevor Mbakwe has been arrested as a result of a violation of a restraining stemming from a facebook posting that Mbakwe made. (This blog is reporting more details, but we won't be repeating them here.)

"We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Trevor," Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi said in a statement. "Until we know all of the facts surrounding the charges, it would be premature for us to have any further comment."

Mbakwe has been Minnesota's best player this season and arguably the best big man in the Big Ten not named Jared Sullinger as he has averaged 13.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg.
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Trevor Mbakwe finally gets some good news

The basketball career of much-maligned power forward Trevor Mbakwe has seemingly taken a step in the right direction.

Mbawke spent the 2007-2008 season with Marquette before transferring to Miame-Dade Community College. That's where his trouble started. Mbakwe was accused of assaulting a woman in April of 2009 in Miami, and after enrolling at Minnesota last season, Mbakwe was deemed ineligible as a result of the pending charges.

As his legal case dragged on for over a year, Mbakwe waited and watched the Golden Gophers play their way into the NCAA Tournament. When summer rolled around with his legal case going no where, Mbakwe began looking into a transfer, the Memphis Tigers emerging as his biggest suitor. Many believed Mbakwe, like Royce White, would never end up playing for Tubby Smith.

Minnesota fans hope they will be seeing plenty of this in 2011.
(photo credit: Commercial Appeal)

Well, that all changed today as Mbakwe's case came to a close. Mbakwe agreed to skip trial in exchange for a six-month intervention program. He must a $100 fine, do 100 hours of community service, and avoid contact with his accuser, and he will have everything erased from his record. The program is not an admission of guilt either.

As a result, Mbakwe has been reinstated by Minnesota AD Joel Maturi. He will be allowed to practice with the team on August 21st, as the Gophers begin preparations for a trip to Canada for some exhibition games.

The question is will he want to? He meets with Tubby Smith later this week.

My advice?

He already sat out an entire season. Who knows if the NCAA will actually grant you a waiver to transfer again without penalty. Minnesota brings back a roster that could really use a bid-bodied, 6'8" bruiser. Mbakwe would be a great complement to a front line that currently features Rodney Williams at small forward and the combo of Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson at center.

The Gophers are a borderline NCAA Tournament team right now, but Mbakwe has a chance to contribute major minutes immediately in a loaded Big Ten.

Staying means he can finally play some big-time basketball.

Why risk it again?

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Josh Pastner broke a rule recruiting Trevor Mbakwe

Trevor Mbakwe, a 6'8", 240 lb, power forward who has spent time at both Marquette and Miami-Dade CC, was supposed to provide Minnesota with some size, strength, and energy up front.

Mbakwe never was able to step on the court for Minnesota, however. You see, he is facing some pretty serious assault charges in Florida stemming from his time at Miami-Dade, and as they did with Royce White, Minnesota refused to allow him to play until the legal situation is cleared up.

His court date is August 23rd.

But that hasn't stopped Mbakwe from asking Minnesota for a release from his scholarship pending an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play elsewhere next season. One of the places he has been recruited by is Memphis, who will be loaded in the back court next season, but could use some front court depth.

Tubby Smith knows about this recruitment.

He also knows that Josh Pastner has committed a violation during the process.

You see, coaches are only allowed to watch recruits play at NCAA-certified events, events like Nike's Peach Jam or the AAU games being played out in Vegas this weekend. Mbakwe has been playing in the Howard Pulley Pro-Am in St. Paul, which he is allowed to do. But Pastner, on July 13th, went to see one of those games, which he is not allowed to do.

It is a relatively minor violation that Memphis has already reported to the NCAA and Conference USA. It seems to have stemmed from a miscommunication or a misunderstanding of the rules. Pastner called Smith to inform him of the violation.

I'd be surprised if the Tigers even got a slap on the wrist for this.

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Droppin' Dimes: From The Barn

Droppin' Dimes is a new feature we are trying out at BIAH this year. A couple of times a week, we are going to catch up with the bloggers behind the best team-specific sites on the web. If the internet really is becoming the new newspaper, then the writers at these sites are the de facto beat writers. They know their teams inside and out, and hopefully will provide you (and us) with some detailed insights. If you would like to recommend a site or pose a question for a certain team, you can reach us at contactbiah@gmail.com or @ballinisahabit.

Today, we bring you From The Barn, a Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball blog. They answer questions on everything from Blake Hoffarber's best shot to the legal status of Trevor Mbakwe and Royce White.


1. Minnesota's legal issues have been well-publicized in recent weeks, as Trevor Mbakwe, Royce White and Devron Bostick have all missed games due to legal issues. What is the feeling around the program and its fans regarding Tubby Smith and some of the kids he is bringing into the school? From afar, it looks like he is handling a tough situation pretty well.

Royce White and Trevoe Mbakwe are both local kids, and Tubby Smith had little choice but to welcome them to the program. White came with a bad rap, but seemed to really straighten himself out his senior year in High School. Clearly, there are some real issues that are left to be sorted out.

The general consensus regarding Mbakwe is that he is a victim of mistaken identity, and is a bit of a victim himself in that he is not allowed to play even though he possibly/probably never did anything wrong. Mbakwe, of course, is transfer from Marquette, and had a tumultuous time there, though those issues dealt with his commitment to the program. His legal issues have come a surprise to everyone.

Trevor Mbakwe may be a case of mistaken identity.
(photo credit: Chicago Town News)

Bostick isn't charged with any crime and has no legal issues. He violated team rules, and the latest news is that he made amends and could return to the team this week. The announcement of his suspension on the same day as White's suspension led some to assume that he was involved in that incident, which he was not.

There has been quite a bit of consternation surrounding Tubby Smith's decisions, especially Royce White's suspension, with opinion divided more or less evenly between those that want White kicked out of school, allowed to play, and that the indefinite suspension is the right move. I fall firmly in the indefinite suspension camp. White clearly isn't ready to be a part of the team, but kicking him off the team would end his best, last chance to turn his life around.

Opinion may be shifting though after Minnesota's difficult weekend in the 76 Classic. If the Gophers continue to shoot poorly and have rebounding lapses, the cries for an indefinite suspension of suspension's will grow louder.


2. Let's assume, for a second, a worst case scenario wher both Mbawke and White are forced to miss the entire season. How will the Gophers handle this loss? Without a true four man on the roster, will Tubby go big with both Iverson and Sampson on the floor, or will the Gophers be more effective going small, playing guys like Williams, Carter, and Johnson together?

The Gophers were without a true power forward last season and still made the NCAA tournament. If neither Mbakwe or White play this season, I'd expect the same. Tubby Smith played Iverson and Sampson at the same time in most games last season and the results were mixed. The “Twin Towers” line-up hasn't been used as much this season, but it has been more effective. Colton Iverson had a bit of a coming out party during the 76 Classic with two double-doubles. Sampson has been rebounding more but his defense has been a bit soft.

Carter and Johnson are the closest thing the Gophers have to a power forward, and each bring valuable skills sets to the team, but are incomplete players. Carter struggles on offense and Johnson can't rebound. Coach Smith is still trying to find the right combination, and the power forward position is very situational right now.


3. Speaking of Rodney Williams, he has been fantastic in his first three games as a Gopher. What is the consensus on this kid? Is he just simply more athletic than the kids Minnesota as faced in their three wins, or is he the real deal?

After this weekend it would be hard to call him the real deal, though it remains to be seen if his first three games were the anomaly or if he just had a rough weekend. I don't think he is as good as his 15 ppg average before the 76 Classic or as bad as his performance in Anaheim would indicate. In short, he is a freshman with great tools and a lot of room to grow. The big test will be how he bounces back from the early season growing pains.


4. One of the things that Minnesota was missing last season was a real go-to threat; someone that could break down a defense at the end of a shot clock or half when you really need a bucket. Can Lawrence Westbrook be that guy? What about Al Nolen at the point?

Westbrook can be, but hasn't been the guy. He isn't attacking the basket like he did last year, especially during the Wisconsin games, and hasn't shown much interest in taking the initiative on offense. The senior guard lost about 40 pounds, which may be contributing to his reluctance on offense. When he was bulkier he drove the lane fearlessly. With his weight loss he can't just run through people anymore.

Nolen may never be the guy. He has one of the better first steps in the Big Ten. His problem is the third and fourth steps. He struggles with court vision and finishing at the basket, two skills that any good point guard needs. Instead of making the easy lay-ups or the dump off for the dunk, he gets caught in the air far too often or zips a pass out of bounds.


5. The Big Ten is as good and balanced as any league in the country this year. Michigan State and Purdue both are being discussed as potential conference championships and Final Four teams. Where does Minnesota fit into that equation? Do they have a shot to win the league?

Even with their recent struggles, a top 5 Big Ten finish isn't out of the question. The Gophers will have plenty of opportunities to beat up the bottom third of the league, and Williams Arena always brings out the team's best. How they ultimately finish will depend on their ability to learn from their mistakes. The team started well last season, but never got better. If they don't improve, they'll barely sneak into the NCAA tournament, if they are lucky.


Bonus: Better Blake Hoffarber buzzer beater - from his back in high school, or the miracle shot he hit to beat Indiana two years ago in the Big Ten tourney?

The second miracle shot gets my vote. The shot from his back was a fluke and undefendable. In the Big Ten tournament it was off a set play, the defense was ready, and he still made it. The shot against Indiana wasn't amazing just because of the circumstances, the opponent, or the time left on the clock. It was amazing because he never even had control of the ball. Watch it in slow motion, and try to figure out how even got the ball to go in the general direction of the basket.
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Trevor Mbakwe out until legal matters resolved

About two months ago, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi ruled that Trevor Mbakwe was going to be allowed to practice with the team, but would hold off on on making the decision of whether or not Mbakwe would be allowed to play in games.

You see, Mbakwe is currently facing charges back in Florida, where he attend Miami-Dade Community College last year. In early April, a woman accused Mbakwe of assaulting her, although Mbakwe claims it is a case of mistaken identity.

Trevor Mbakwe will sit out until his legal problems are resolved.
(photo credit: Minnesota Athletics)

Today Maturi made his decision, as he will not allow Mbakwe to dress for home games or travel with the team on road games until his legal situation is figured out.

I'm torn on this ruling. While I applaud Maturi for doing what most AD's wouldn't - essentially suspending a player in trouble while their legal matters are sorted out - I can't help but wonder what happened to innocent until proven guilty? What if Mbakwe is actually innocent?

Regardless, the loss shouldn't be that big of a blow for Minnesota. Mbakwe is a big, athletic kid that was expected to contribute along the Gophers front line, but Minnesota is deep up front. Mbakwe may not have been the first player off the bench at either the four or the five spots this season.
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Trevor Mbakwe enrolls at Minnesota

UPDATE: Moving this to the top. Maturi has ruled that Mbakwe will be allowed to practice, but has yet to make a decision as to whether the forward will be eligible to play in games.


Former Marquette and Miami Dade forward Trevor Mbakwe has enrolled at Minnesota. That's good news for the Golden Gophers, as Mbakwe is talented enough that he will compete for a starting spot along the front line.

Problem is, he may not be eligible, at least right away. You see, a woman accused Mbakwe of assaulting her back in early April. Mbakwe says it was a case of mistaken identity and that he has four witnesses putting him at a different location.

He said, she said.

So what do you do if you're Minnesota AD Joel Maturi? Let Mbakwe suit up, even though he still has these charges pending? Or do you suspend him with the knowledge that Mbakwe may actually be 100% innocent in the matter?

Mbakwe's lawyer is trying to push the court date back until after the season, which makes Maturi's decision that much more difficult. According to Twincities.com, he'll make a decision by Tuesday.

Its a tough call. I think I would let him play. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

What would you do here? Continue reading...