In practice on Saturday he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. This is the same knee he hurt against Minnesota on Feb 24 that knocked him out for the rest of last season. He had surgery in March and was hopeful that he would be ready for his senior season.
This is the second time in 2010 that Hummel has suffered a torn ACL. Hummel has been one of the best players in the Big Ten while healthy throughout his collegiate career, but the senior has suffered a rash of injuries that have limited his playing time.
Hummel is Purdue's most versatile player.He averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game last season. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 3 in the nation when he was hurt. They struggled at first without him before recovering to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
The Boilermakers had defensive stopper Chris Kramer on that team, too. Kramer was a senior, so now the Boilers have to replace two of the most important pieces of last season’s title contender.
“When I heard it this morning, it brought tears to my eyes,’’ said Minnesota coach Tubby Smith. “He tore up his knee here last year. He’s such a sweet kid, a special young man. He’s got so much going for him. I just feel bad for him and his teammates. Purdue was as good a team as any in the country.’’
The Boilermakers had the total package to compete for the title with Hummel.
“They had JaJuan who could block shots, E’Twaun Moore as good a perimeter player as anyone and Robbie Hummel, who was like the kid [Butler’s Gordon] Hayward,’’ Smith said. “I thought he was better than the kid from Butler.’’
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who chairs the USA Basketball junior national teams,had selected Hummel to the World University Games team that won a bronze medal in July 2009. The team was coached by Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan. Naturally, the reaction from Boeheim and Ryan was similar to Smith’s.
“It’s such a horrific thing because that kid has worked so hard to get back,’’ Boeheim said. “Obviously I feel bad for Purdue, but it’s devastating for the kid. He is a tremendous player, an all-American that could be a first-team all-American. Purdue is a preseason top four or five team. He played for his country and for this to happen to him two years in a row is just an awful thing. It’s hard to describe.’’
Boeheim said Hummel made the Boilermakers a national title contender.
“In a second, things change,’’ Boeheim said. “We lost a key guy before the tournament [Arinze Onuaku] and so did Purdue [with Hummel], so who knows what would have happened for us and for them if we were healthy. I feel bad for him because it’s so hard to come back from that. It’s a tough surgery and then six to seven months of tough rehab.’’
Ryan echoed those thoughts.
“He has done all the right things and it just goes to show how unfair things are at times,’’ he said. “If anybody though can handle the adversity it is him. He’s such a tough-minded young man. He loves the game so much. He’s been good to the game.’’
Wisconsin, like the Gophers, will benefit from Hummel’s absence in the Big Ten race. Michigan State will now be the clear front-runner for the Big Ten title with Ohio State, Illinois in contention while Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern possibly compete for a top-five finish.
Even without Hummel, Purdue is one of a number of teams that could win the national title and no one should discount the Boilermakers’ chances.
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