Archie Marshall has accepted his fate.
“I went through it once. The second time could be easier, right? I’ll be back,” said Kansas’ 6-6 senior forward, who suffered severe ligament damage in his left knee, following a conjested scramble for the ball under the hoop with 11:34 left in the first half of Wednesday’s 70-56 ECAC Festival loss to St. John’s.
Marshall won’t be back this season, but the Tulsa, Okla. native insists, following surgery and rehabilitation, he’ll be ready for a try at pro ball next year.
The comeback trail won’t be easy, considering Marshall now will have had both knees reconstructed. He suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee two years ago at the Final Four in Dallas.
This current injury is diagnosed as tears of both the anterior cruciate AND medial collateral ligaments of the left knee.
Kansas’ players and coaches have expressed sorrow over Marshall’s fate. He worked hard rehabilitating his right knee during last year’s medical redshirt season.
Just as his mobility returned (he averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds through 10 games)….now this happens.
“Nobody feels as bad about it as I do,” said Marshall, consenting to only a brief interview Thursday.
The injury was a freak one. KU’s Chris Piper, positioned out front, tried to hit Marshall with a pass down low. Marshall managed to get a hand on the ball, but was sandwiched between several players, including KU’s Danny Manning.
After contact with somebody, possibly St. John’s Jayson Williams, who fouled Marshall on the play, Marshall went down in agony.
“I got cuaght between two people, I think,” said Marshall. “I won’t know until I see the films.”
Piper had a perfect view of the play.
“I passed it to Archie. He was sandwiched between Danny, Williams and Brust (Matt). Somebody hit him and he went down,” Piper said.
Whatever, the Jayhawks must now rebound from the loss of one of their top players.
“You can’t lose Archie,” said Piper. “Losing Archie is like losing two starters. He’s such a hard worker. He’s quiet, never says much, but he leads by example. He’s shown courage before and will again. He’s always optimistic and we’ll be optimistic for him.”
Who will replace Marshall in the lineup?
“Somebody will step forward,” said KU coach Larry Brown. “I’m not thinking about how this will affect the team. I’m thinking about how it will affect Archie.”
Freshman forward Mike Maddox says any of many Jayhawks might step in and help.
“Milt (Newton), Jeff (Gueldner), myself and Keith (Harris). Somebody will have to play. I think I’ll have to step in and show more responsibility,” Maddox said.
“We’ll really miss him,” added Maddox. “He’s a senior, a great rebounder and a leader.”
The Jayahwks, 8-3, will next face Washington on Monday night in Seattle.
Improved shooting might be necessary for Kansas to record a win. KU entered the Festival as a 58 percent shooting team.
The Jayhawks hit just 37.8 percent in a first-round win over Memphis State and 32.7 percent in the loss to the Redmen.
“It’s just one of those things, I guess,” said Maddox, who scored two points on one of three shooting in the finale. “We just have to keep shooting.”
