Creighton rumors...

[panther2317]

Valley Talk has some posts suggesting that Funk and Motz are healthy enough to return to the Jays lineup tonight vs. Missouri State. Anyone heard anything that might confirm or deny this rumor? I find it hard to believe Funk is healthy enough to be 100%. A shoulder that's not 100% stable has a high risk of re-injury I would think. Plus, he's a hustle kid...he likes to get on the floor for loose balls and loves to dip his shoulder into his shot...can he do that if not healthy?

[Matt Trump]

I was listening to Omaha sports talk 590 AM and he thought Motz would be back. But, he was unsure about Funk. Funk's injury was pretty serious and he was getting re-evaluated during winter break. He has a torn Labrum and that is something that takes awhile to come back from.

[ejacobson]

Funk et al a NO GO for MSU

Jays' Funk returns to practice

BY STEVEN PIVOVAR




WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


RELATED LINKS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


»
CU Men's Basketball

»
MVC Men's Basketball

»
College Basketball - RPI

Creighton guard Nate Funk returned to practice Tuesday but will not play in tonight's home game against Missouri State.


Creighton guard Nate Funk practiced on Tuesday, and the senior could play Saturday at Illinois State or Monday at Bradley.

He did not rule out returning to action for a two-game trip to Illinois, if only to test his injured shoulder before undergoing a Jan. 4 examination that could determine his status for this season.

Under NCAA rules, Funk could play two more games and still qualify for a medical redshirt as long as any action would come before Creighton reaches the midpoint of its season.

That raised the question of whether he might play Saturday at Illinois State or Monday at Bradley to get a better gauge at how he would hold up in a game situation.

Bears at Jays
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• When: 7:05 tonight

• Where: Qwest Center Omaha

• Records: MSU 7-1, CU 6-2

• TV: KM3

• Radio: KXSP, 590 AM


"That's always a possibility," Funk said. "Everything is still up in the air right now. I'm just going day-by-day and seeing how it feels. But if I'm comfortable with it, playing is a possibility."

Funk has missed Creighton's past four games after suffering a torn labrum in his left (non-shooting) shoulder near the end of a Nov. 30 loss at DePaul. He had been doing some shooting and running on his own, and he decided to give it a go in the Tuesday practice at Qwest Center Omaha.

The 6-foot-3 senior's shooting touch appeared off at the start of the workout but he warmed up as the session progressed. He also showed no tentativeness on several drives to the basket, and he did not appear to be favoring the shoulder.

"He got in and mixed it up a little," Creighton coach Dana Altman said. "He didn't appear to be too tentative. This gave us a chance to think that he maybe has a chance to get back."

That decision could come when Funk returns to Birmingham, Ala., next week for a follow-up visit with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Funk saw Andrews on Dec. 6 when the Bluejays played at Chattanooga, Tenn.

"Right now, I'm gauging everything on how things feel at practice and the confidence I have in it," Funk said. "I'd like to hear him say that I can play but if my future is in jeopardy whether I play this year, then I'd have to question if it would be the smartest thing to play this year.

"Whatever the doctor says is what I'm going to do. . . . If having surgery is best for my future, then that's what I'm going to do."

Funk was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference pick as a junior, and he averaged 19.3 points in Creighton's first four games.

"There are still some things I feel uncomfortable with but others that I'm confident with," he said. "Still, I don't want to play like that. It's not fair to my team, it's not fair to our fans if I'm trying to play like that."

Which is why Funk won't use tonight's 7:07 Valley opener to test out the shoulder.

"I made the decision whether to play or not," Funk said. "I'm just not comfortable with it. I'm still trying to get my condition back. I'd like to be out there but mentally I'm just not ready to go."

The 6-2 Bluejays undoubtedly could use Funk, or any of their walking wounded, against the high-scoring Bears. Senior forward Jimmy Motz (stress fracture in foot), sophomore guard Pierce Hibma (partially torn knee ligament) and freshman center Steve Smith (back) will join Funk in street clothes for the game.

Missouri State is off to a 7-1 start while scoring a Valley-best 89 points per game. The Bears lead the Valley in scoring and shooting (50.7 percent from the field, 45.3 percent from 3-point range) and also rank second in the league in rebounding margin (plus-7.1 per game).

Altman said the Bears are similar in style to the teams Barry Hinson has been fielding in his seven seasons at Springfield.

"They might shoot it a little better but they're not as athletic in a couple of spots," Altman said. "But they're typical of the last couple of years - they're very deep and they shoot it pretty good."

That has Altman concerned, especially after three sub-par practices since returning from a three-day Christmas break.

"We didn't have a very good practice the other night, yesterday was marginal and today's focus wasn't very good," Altman said. "Hopefully, we'll make a dramatic change in the next 24 hours."

And what if Funk would do the same and say wake up this morning pain free?

"No, no," Funk replied, laughing. "I'm telling you that tomorrow's a no go."

• NOTES: Creighton leads the Valley in two statistical categories - offensive rebounds (14.3 per game) and turnover margin (plus-6 per game). The Bluejays are committing 13.4 turnovers per game while forcing 19.4 . . . Creighton ranks last in field-goal percentage at 39.2 percent and is seventh in 3-point percentage at .333. Last season, the Bluejays shot 45.2 percent from the field and led the league, while ranking fourth in the nation, in 3-point percentage at 41.4.

[ejacobson]

Sorry for the giganic post but you have to be a World-herald subscriber to get some of the online articles, hope that helps everyone

[JCPanthers]

Nate Funk played last night and scored 13 points in Creighton's loss to Illinois State. I seriously doubt he redshirts now.

[CF Panther]

Nate Funk played last night and scored 13 points in Creighton's loss to Illinois State. I seriously doubt he redshirts now.

Correct me if I am wrong JC, but I don't think that redshirting is even an option at this point in time? I read over on ValleyTalk that he has an appointment this next week with a specialist to finalize if he should be playing or not. I hope for the good of our rivals in Omaha that the doctor has good news. It'd sure be a waste for Funk to come back and lose to Illinois State to jeopardize an entire year of eligibility next season. I think now that he has come back and played after sitting out, he has all but thrown his redshirt in the trash. If not, wouldn't it be great to keep a great player around an extra year and only use him for a few select games...

[JCPanthers]

Correct me if I am wrong JC, but I don't think that redshirting is even an option at this point in time? I read over on ValleyTalk that he has an appointment this next week with a specialist to finalize if he should be playing or not. I hope for the good of our rivals in Omaha that the doctor has good news. It'd sure be a waste for Funk to come back and lose to Illinois State to jeopardize an entire year of eligibility next season. I think now that he has come back and played after sitting out, he has all but thrown his redshirt in the trash. If not, wouldn't it be great to keep a great player around an extra year and only use him for a few select games...

You are correct....according to NCAA rules, Funk would have been allowed to apply for a Medical Hardship Waiver since he had played in less then 20% of the scheduled games. Here is the official rule on the Medical Hardship Waiver:

Medical Hardship Waiver: This waiver allows a student-athlete to be granted an additional season of competition when he/she has participated in competition during a given year but subsequently suffers a season-ending injury. A student-athlete may qualify for this waiver when he/she has participated in 20% or less of his/her team's competitive events for the season (e.g., 3 games of an 11 game football schedule), his/her participation occurred only during the first half of the season and he/she suffered a season ending injury. These waivers may not be officially requested and granted until the completion of the season in which the student-athlete was injured.

So I agree...now that he has come back to play, the Medical Redshirt is no longer an option.

[Panthers to the Bone]

I may be naive, but I would think that Creighton would have known exactly what they needed to know regarding medical redshirting before playing Nate in the ILSU game. My guess is that Nate is still eligible for a medical redshirt if Nate's doctors tell him, his coaches, and the NCAA that he has further injured his shoulder by playing in the two games since returning to competition, and he needs to shut it down for the rest of the season. If the reason for the medical redshirt is due to the continuous problem suffered from the 1st half of the season injury, then I think he will be OK with physician's documentation. Just my two cents.

[JCPanthers]

This was at the end of an article on the ISU vs. Creighton game that I found over at the Bluejay board:

'BIRD BITS: Redbird Arena hosted a season-best crowd of 5,970 for the game. . . . Funk said he plans to play Monday at Bradley, but then will see a specialist Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. Following that visit, Funk will decide if he will have surgery on his left shoulder and apply for a medical redshirt.

Here is the link:

http://thebluejaycafe.com/BB/viewtopic.php?t=1218

[CF Panther]

I may be naive, but I would think that Creighton would have known exactly what they needed to know regarding medical redshirting before playing Nate in the ILSU game. My guess is that Nate is still eligible for a medical redshirt if Nate's doctors tell him, his coaches, and the NCAA that he has further injured his shoulder by playing in the two games since returning to competition, and he needs to shut it down for the rest of the season. If the reason for the medical redshirt is due to the continuous problem suffered from the 1st half of the season injury, then I think he will be OK with physician's documentation. Just my two cents.

I believe that even if he plays the Bradley game he is still TECHNICALLY eligible for a medical redshirt. However, the NCAA is not required to grant one, and CU is not a BCS power school that the NCAA is going to be looking to do favors for. I personally think he would have been assured of his redshirt had he not come back to play these two games (ILSU and Bradley), but by playing these two towards the end of the season, he better hope that he is cleared to play the rest of the season. If not, we may not see Funk play another college game. Just my 2 cents...

[ejacobson]

Funk would still eiligable to get a medical hardship that is for sure and the NCAA is usually pretty understanding espeicially in the case of surgery being needed. Anyway both of my uncles are orthopedic surgeons and have said that his shoulder may feel healthy but that almost every surgeon would tell him to be cautious because it will be reinjured even more easily from here on out. Only Nate knows what he will do and I can tell you that he isnt going to share that with anyone other than his dad and Dana. So valley talk and go bluejays may have all sorts of info, but nate isnt the type of guy to talk about this sort of thing losely.

[panther2317]

On the radio broadcast last night, they said something in the post-game about Funk going to Alabama to a specialist this week to see if he requires surgery.