Continued problems with muscle spasms may cost Colorado junior Marcus Hall some minutes tonight in a Big 12 Conference game at Texas A&M.
If he can finish the game it would be a good trade-off for playing less, said Hall, a 6-foot-1 guard. Spasms and cramps in his legs and lower back have prevented him from finishing recent games against Kansas State and Iowa State.
“I’m hoping not,” Hall said of reduced playing time. “But this problem has been happening in the last five minutes of the game, the most important part of the game. In the Big 12, most of the games are going to be close. So I need to be in there in the end.
“If I have to sacrifice some minutes earlier in the game, I’ll do that.”
If problems persist, it could be a big blow to a Buffs team (15-4, 5-3) hoping to finish strong and secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. CU coach Ricardo Patton has settled on Hall as his starting point guard after trying several players at that position.
Hall averages 25.2 minutes per game, second-best to Richard Roby’s 28.6 minutes. Hall’s 9.2 scoring average ranks third and he has rated among the Big 12 leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio all season.
Hall underwent blood tests Monday to try to explain his spasms and results were negative, a CU spokesperson said Tuesday. Hall was told to drink plenty of liquids and eat bananas and other nutritional supplements. Still, he remains worried the spasms will become a chronic problem. If Patton is equally concerned, he isn’t saying it.
“Until I hear bad news, I can’t worry about what might be,” Patton said.
Man among boys
That’s what Patton calls Texas A&M’s Joseph Jones, a 6-9, 250-pound sophomore. Jones scored 31 points Saturday in an 83-70 loss to Texas.
“You’ve got to help on defense against him; I don’t know that anybody in the league can guard him one-on-one,” Patton said.
Jones averages 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds despite having to leave the court on occasion because of a nervous stomach.
“I don’t know what causes that,” Aggies coach Billy Gillispie said. “I guess he gets worked up; he’s an intense competitor.”
Footnotes
Roby on CU retaining its No. 25 ranking in the coaches poll despite losing by 17 points at Iowa State: “I didn’t believe it. I thought it was a mistake. We feel like (the voters) gave us one. You can’t mess up a second chance.” … Patton downplayed the importance of trying to bounce back after the loss. “This is another big game. But I don’t know that it’s bigger than any other game. There’s been a sense of urgency all year long.”
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
