Missouri Valley Basketball: Injury updates for Demarcus Sharp, Mark Freeman

Drake Bulldogs

All-Valley players Roman Penn and ShanQuan Hemphill are producing at a lower than expected levels due to nagging injuries. Both players were injured late last season and haven’t fully recovered.

Penn’s season-ending foot injury returned this year in the form of a broken bone in that same foot. He missed seven games and returned to in the Missouri State game. Last year the all-league guard averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 assists and this season his numbers are 9.7 and 3.9. Penn rarely practices and DeVries says the foot injury won’t heal, but Penn wants to play and deal with his foot problems after the season.

Hemphill’s explosiveness has also been diminished with lower leg injuries that have never truly gone away. This season he is averaging almost four fewer points and one full rebound less than last season. Also missing are his thunderous dunks and disruptive defensive ability. Head coach Darian DeVries says each of his stars needs their minutes monitored and their physical limitations are hindering their statistical production.

"“He’s (Hemphill) limited too,” said DeVries. “He’s another guy that can’t practice much. We have to manage his work load. It’s kind of a day-by-day how he feels and he let’s me know and we work off of that.”"

Northern Iowa Panthers

Center Austin Phyfe’s bouts with the long-term effects of covid have caused great disruptions for him and for the Panther rotation. Phyfe’s issues aren’t consistent enough to determine that he’ll continually improve, like with a typical injury. He’ll play three minutes one game and 18 the next. He is literally, a game-to-game situation.

To relieve pressure from his redshirt junior, coach Ben Jacobson has chosen to start Noah Carter. Taking the starting load away from the 6’9 Phyfe allows Jacobson to spot him in and out of the lineup and Phyfe doesn’t have the strain of having to produce immediately at the beginning of each game. Jacobson wants to help his player manage a physical and mental struggle.

"“It’s been a real challenge and he’s doing everything he can,” said Jacobson. “It’s outside of his control in terms of it’s impact on him day-to-day. So it does present some challenges. Noah (Carter) has moved into that starting spot and that has given us some certainty. It helps Austin, knowing ‘I don’t have to start the game, if I’m not feeling great’. It takes some pressure off his mind.”"

Phyfe practices intermittently.

Southern Illinois Salukis

Trent Brown and Ben Harvey have missed most of the season. Brown has recently made his season debut after battling a back injury. Ben Harvey has played just six games due to illness issues.

Head coach Bryan Mullins says Brown missed the tail end of last season and couldn’t fully practice this offseason. When Brown closed in on rejoining the lineup, SIU had some covid interruptions. Mullins says it will be difficult for Brown to work his way all the way back.

"“Trent’s doing well,” said Mullins. “He has missed a lot of basketball over the last eight to ten months. He’s healthy now, but we were on pause and our goal is for him to be playing his best basketball into February and in these next couple of weeks get him into basketball shape. He’s a big piece of our team and we’re going to need him in order to have a good season this year.”"

Harvey averaged 9.7 points and made 38% of his shots from distance and Brown, an outstanding defender averaged 6.9 points and converted 39% of his shots from deep last year.

Valparaiso Beacons

Transfer guard Trevor Anderson has missed Valpo’s last two games with a back injury. Those are the types of injuries that linger and that one bears watching. Center Thomas Kithier returned from covid restrictions on Saturday.

While the whole nation asks ‘when will covid go away?’ Missouri Valley Conference teams deal with its effects and the typical, basketball-related injuries every day. The hope, for now, is for the omicron variant to peak and fade away and for each of these outstanding athletes to heal and be able to perform in the game they love.