The Gophers basketball team’s practice on Oct. 7 featured a major high, as coach Richard Pitino awarded senior walk-on Brady Rudrud with a surprise scholarship.
But it also featured a real low. That was the same practice in which junior forward Eric Curry suffered his latest major knee injury, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
“We were running up and down scrimmaging, and I closed out (on my man),” Curry said at the Gophers’ media day Friday. “And when I tried to close out, I stepped to try to slide, and when I turned, it just buckled and popped on me.”
Curry felt the pop and heard his knee jerking, but he was able to walk off the court. And with every step he took, his knee buckled.
“I knew something was torn in it,” he said. “But I didn’t know it was the ACL directly.”
As soon as he heard the official diagnosis, Pitino FaceTimed Curry.
“(There was no) feeling sorry for himself,” Pitino said. He was “very positive.”
When Curry got hurt, his immediate focus was on trying to not dampen Rudrud’s moment. Later, Rudrud was getting emotional when texting Curry.
“And I’m like, ‘Bro, you just got a scholarship. Go live, go celebrate. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,’ ” Curry said. “I just tried to keep his spirits up and stay positive throughout that whole day for him. Because I know that’s a pretty huge day, and we always talked about that day, because we were expecting him to get that scholarship this year.”
That’s how Curry rolls. He refuses to bring anyone down with his attitude, instead lifting others up.
“He always puts the team first. He’s a team guy, great player, real cerebral player. We love being out there with Eric,” teammate Marcus Carr said. “He makes us better out there.”
That won’t change because of this injury. Curry continues to bring his energy to practice.
“To me, his legitimately like another coach,” Pitino said. “Injured guys can sit down on the side and find other ways to impact the team. Eric has absolutely done that. I value his opinion. Players, when they’re in competition, they don’t always see it. When they’re on the sidelines, they’re like ‘Oh coach, I know what you mean a little bit.’ Eric’s got that. I do think he can bring great value to the team this year. He’s also a very important piece from a basketball standpoint. We’re going to miss him a lot. But he should be commended for his attitude.”
That was on full display Friday. Curry was sitting on the court discussing his injury with his patented smile still plastered across his face.
“I can’t be down here moping around or whatever, so I just try to keep their spirits up, so I make everybody laugh still,” Curry said. “I’m out here smiling all the time like I normally do. Because I think positive. I think ahead, and I know I’m going to be back better than ever, so I just try to keep that energy, keep that hope alive.”
This is Curry’s third significant injury in the past three years. He missed the 2017-18 season after injuring his left knee, then required arthroscopic surgery on that same knee at the start of last season. He played 15 games before his season was cut short by a right foot injury suffered in March.
Despite all of that, he remains resolute in his commitment to returning to the court. He hasn’t spoken with the coaching staff yet about the plan moving forward, but is assuming he will apply for a waiver to get a sixth year of eligibility.
“You don’t really have to say anything to him,” teammate Jarvis Omersa said. “For Eric personally, I think he’s like, ‘Bro, you know I got this.’ We’re all like, ‘We support you no matter what. We love you, we’ll be here throughout the whole grind, the comeback.’ But after we say those words, he doesn’t want to hear anymore about it, because he’s just ready to grind and ready to work.
“He’s very strong. He hasn’t stopped since. Some people, after the first time that happens to them, they’re like, ‘Should I play?’ But Eric, this is his third time being injured seriously, and nothing has changed. He’s still locked in, he’s trying to come back always.”
Why shouldn’t he? He’s mastered the rehab process by this point. The key, Curry said, is taking things day by day.
“Each day is a win. Each day I’m making progress toward getting back out here,” he said. “As you can see, I’m in good spirits. I just know I’m going to overcome this and be back on the court in no time.”
Leave a Reply