FORT COLLINS — Colorado State basketball coach Tim Miles received the text message Monday he had been waiting for all season: “No worries, Coach.”
It came from senior Stuart Creason, a signal the 7-foot center was no worse for the wear after his return Saturday to the court for the first time since early January.
Creason, sidelined because of a chronic foot injury, came off the bench Saturday for 13 points, five rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist in 16 minutes in a 68-51 loss at UNLV.
Although the Rams were never in the game and only one starter tallied a point other than MWC scoring leader Marcus Walker’s 24, Creason’s return should give the Rams’ Walker-based outside game an inside-outside balance. The next test is Wednesday against Mountain West- leading BYU (18-5, 7-1) at Moby Arena.
“Stuart Creason makes their team a lot better,” BYU coach Dave Rose said in Monday’s MWC teleconference. “It will give the coaching staff, the players an emotional lift.
“Put him back in the lineup and they become a much better defensive team, a much better rebounding team and a much better offensive execution team as far as being able to play in the post and then out to the perimeter.”
CSU (6-17, 0-9) is one of six Division I schools in the country without a league win, joining North Florida, Northwestern, Rice, The Citadel and Oregon State.
No sooner did CSU regain Creason than did starting point guard Willis Gardner leave after reinjuring his shoulder while taking a hard screen. He has played all season with a shoulder harness.
“Losing Stuart really took a toll on us,” Miles said. “Now getting him back hopefully in the next three or four games, we’ll get a rhythm and get a bona fide challenge for teams.”
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
