Stovall out for the year

A lot of highs and lows on this one. First Peyton looked like he had reinjured the ACL when he collapsed during the Wright State game. Then it was reported that it was instead a sprain and that he was day-to-day. Now:

MEN'S BASKETBALL UPDATE: Guard will miss rest of season
Stovall tears ACL for second time in career


Sean Stevenson Chief Reporter
December 01, 2005

The men’s basketball team’s top guard will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL tear in his left knee. After further evaluation this week, another MRI determined that junior Peyton Stovall had suffered an ACL tear and he's expected to have surgery on his left knee by the end of the month.

Stovall is expected to seek a redshirt this season so he can return for two full season after he's recovered..

Stovall was diagnosed with a left knee sprain in an MRI on Monday and was expected to be day-to-day for Saturday’s game against Butler.

Stovall, however, will now have to go through his second ACL injury in his Ball State career. He suffered the first ACL tear in last year’s Mid-American Conference Tournament game and spent the off-season rehabilitating the knee.

Coach Tim Buckley said on Monday that without Stovall the Cardinals would turn to true freshman Maurice Acker to run the point for the team.

Stovall averaged 15 points per game through the first two contests this season while shooting 34.8 percent from the field and going 4-for-13 from beyond the arc.

(source: Ball State Daily News)

I am very sad for Peyton. I assume he'll be granted his red-shirt, and hopefully he'll have two solid years in a Cardinal uniform to come. I know how hard it is to recover from a surgery of this magnitude, but to have to do it two times...

In looking at Acker's ascension to the starting point guard spot, I am concerned with two things. 1)Obviously, his youth and lack of collegiate experience, and 2)the lack of a backup. I imagine that Buckley will implement a rotation of guards to cover the backup situation with a combination of Mills, Yates, and a few others. And, of course, I remind myself that every point guard we've had in recent memory (Jackson, McCollom, and Stovall), and a few from the past (Spicer and that McCollum guy) either started or played significant minutes their freshman year, so I shouldn't underestimate Maurice's prospect for success only based upon his youth.

Guess we'll see how things go against Butler. I am optimistic, but I also am reminded of a few years back when another star player went down with a knee injury right before the Butler game and what the result was then...