With nary a warning, a team besieged by mediocrity now also finds itself steeped in mystery.
Suddenly, the short- and long-term status of Chris Perry, the men's basketball team's only low-post veteran, is unknown. Nearly three full days after being stricken by chest pains during a Saturday night practice in Hartford, Conn., Perry was a no-show at Tuesday afternoon's practice.
Presumably, the results of tests performed in Tampa aren't yet known. His mother didn't respond to a phone message from the Tampa Bay Times.
His status for tonight's game against SMU? "We don't know," Bulls coach Orlando Antigua said. "Right now we're still unclear and unsure, but he's day to day."
Physically, Antigua said Perry showed no prior indicators of being ill. Statistically, a pattern of regression is noticeable in the past three weeks.
Perry hasn't scored more than six points in any of his past four contests, during which his scoring average has fallen nearly two full points (from 12.6 to 10.8 ppg). In that same span, his rebounding average has fallen from 7.5 to 7.1, and his minutes per game have dropped from 27.3 to 21.5.
Some of that diminished production can be attributed to early foul trouble (see Tulsa) and the gradual emergence of other low-post options (see Bo Zeigler, Ruben Guerrero). But in hindsight, one can't help but wonder how Perry has been feeling lately.
All that's known for now is that Perry was hospitalized in Hartford after pulling up during practice and arrived on the Bulls bench ? out of uniform, and out of the blue ? midway through the next day's game against Connecticut.
"I was really relieved because I didn't know what happened to him," G Corey Allen said, "so just to see him back on the bench was a big relief."
On Monday evening, Allen spoke with Perry and said he seemed in good spirits, hopeful of returning to the team sooner rather than later. Could be as soon as tonight or as late as March. Meantime, Antigua's words resonate.
We don't know.
Suddenly, the short- and long-term status of Chris Perry, the men's basketball team's only low-post veteran, is unknown. Nearly three full days after being stricken by chest pains during a Saturday night practice in Hartford, Conn., Perry was a no-show at Tuesday afternoon's practice.
Presumably, the results of tests performed in Tampa aren't yet known. His mother didn't respond to a phone message from the Tampa Bay Times.
His status for tonight's game against SMU? "We don't know," Bulls coach Orlando Antigua said. "Right now we're still unclear and unsure, but he's day to day."
Physically, Antigua said Perry showed no prior indicators of being ill. Statistically, a pattern of regression is noticeable in the past three weeks.
Perry hasn't scored more than six points in any of his past four contests, during which his scoring average has fallen nearly two full points (from 12.6 to 10.8 ppg). In that same span, his rebounding average has fallen from 7.5 to 7.1, and his minutes per game have dropped from 27.3 to 21.5.
Some of that diminished production can be attributed to early foul trouble (see Tulsa) and the gradual emergence of other low-post options (see Bo Zeigler, Ruben Guerrero). But in hindsight, one can't help but wonder how Perry has been feeling lately.
All that's known for now is that Perry was hospitalized in Hartford after pulling up during practice and arrived on the Bulls bench ? out of uniform, and out of the blue ? midway through the next day's game against Connecticut.
"I was really relieved because I didn't know what happened to him," G Corey Allen said, "so just to see him back on the bench was a big relief."
On Monday evening, Allen spoke with Perry and said he seemed in good spirits, hopeful of returning to the team sooner rather than later. Could be as soon as tonight or as late as March. Meantime, Antigua's words resonate.
We don't know.
