DENVER—Pioneers coach Joe Scott heard David Kummer’s piercing scream and immediately thought, “Not again.”
The Denver senior forward broke his right fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle in a 54-40 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Sunday.
Kummer will have surgery within the next few days and is expected to miss the rest of the season. It’s the third major injury in Kummer’s career. He’s also torn the ACL in both knees.
“It’s hard to believe things like that happen three times to one person,” a dejected Scott said after the game.
Kummer knew it was bad as he hobbled out of the locker room on crutches Sunday night. He was already bracing himself for the fact he might miss another season.
“It’s frustrating,” said Kummer, who leads the Sun Belt Conference in minutes played, averaging around 37 a game. “I heard it pop. It was numb in five seconds.”
Denver was up 43-26 with 8:35 remaining when a Trojans player rolled over the top of Kummer’s leg as they tried to chase down a loose ball. Kummer screamed in pain while laying on the court, clutching his injured leg. He was helped off the court and the leg was immobilized in an inflatable cast.
“I wish he would’ve dove for the loose ball,” Scott said. “Then maybe the subsequent stuff wouldn’t have happened. I keep seeing that play over in my mind.”
With Kummer out, the Trojans cut into the lead, trimming it down to 47-36 on free throws by Steven Moore. However, that would be as close as UALR would get.
The fact the Pioneers (7-9, 3-2 Sun Belt) were able to close out the win without their leader on the floor impressed Scott.
“The players did a great job finishing,” Scott said.
They had no choice, especially with Kummer hobbling over during timeouts and pumping up his teammates. He didn’t want to go to the hospital until after the win was secured.
“David’s attitude was unbelievable,” Scott said. “He came over and said, ‘Hey, you have to finish the game.'”
The Pioneers listened. Adam Tanner scored 14 points and Nate Rohnert added 13 to help Denver break a two-game skid.
It was the fewest points the Trojans (11-5, 3-2) have scored all season. The previous low came in a 59-55 loss at Northern Illinois on Dec. 29.
The Trojans were confounded by Denver’s zone defense, turning the ball over 22 times. The Pioneers switched up their defense on virtually every trip down the floor.
“We had no intentions of being passive from start to finish,” said UALR coach Steve Shields, whose team falls to 1-6 lifetime at Magness Arena. “But we started the game with a passive mentality.”
John Fowler scored nine points and Moore added seven to lead UALR. Brandon Patterson returned to the Trojans after missing a game for an undisclosed family matter. He scored two points in 24 minutes.
As he talked about Kummer’s injury after the game, Scott folded his arms across his chest. He was still trying to come to terms with losing his leader for the season.
“He’s been playing really well,” Scott said. “Maybe somewhere out of all this, something good will happen for David Kummer. You’ve got to think positively about it.”
