Junior point guard Darren Collison’s list of injuries and ailments only continues to grow longer as the season progresses.
In the opening minutes of the second half of Thursday night’s game, Collison collided with Washington’s Ryan Appleby and injured his left hip, suffering a mild contusion.
“I’m going through a lot of adversity right now, and it’s going to really challenge me to see how I mature through this situation,” Collison said. “I’m frustrated, but I’m going to try to continue to stay positive.”
After missing the first six games of this season due to a sprained left knee that he sustained in the second game of the preseason, Collison returned to the Bruin lineup and added depth to the Bruin backcourt, averaging 13 points and five assists, while playing over 25 minutes in each of the nine games.
And just this past Sunday, Collison suffered from food poisoning and vomited about 10-12 times in the week before Thursday’s game.
Collison will undergo treatment for his injured hip this morning to determine whether he will be able to take the court against No. 4 Washington State on Saturday morning.
Without Collison in the lineup, sophomore Russell Westbrook and junior Luc Richard Mbah a Moute stepped up to fill the void.
“I just tried to slow the game down and keep us rolling,” Westbrook said. “Darren has great control, and I just try to fill in for him.”
Collison, a junior preseason All-American, has his focus on the team’s play rather than his own, and hopes to look back at this point of the season in the future and shrug it off.
“I’m going to get over it, and at some point in the season I’m going to look back at this and smile, but right now I just have to stay positive and grow from this situation,” Collison said.
BOY OH ABOYA: Junior Alfred Aboya continued to be plagued by early foul trouble against Washington in what has become a trend this year. He fouled out with nine minutes left in the game.
Aboya picked up two fouls five minutes into the game within a matter of 18 seconds. Aboya returned to the floor and, within a few possessions, committed another foul, forcing Ben Howland to bench him for about the last 10 minutes of the first half.
All in all, Aboya played just nine minutes, grabbed two rebounds and had two turnovers with no points.
With Aboya playing limited minutes, sophomore James Keefe has been forced to step up and play significant time.
“James is the most selfless guy on the team right now because he came off his redshirt and he’s stepping in and playing big for us,” freshman Kevin Love said.
HOLIDAY IN ATTENDANCE: UCLA commit Jrue Holiday was in attendance for the Bruins’ victory over the Huskies and was acknowledged by the student section five minutes into the second half during a timeout.
“I don’t come to a lot of games, but every time I do come it’s fun,” Holiday said after the game.
Holiday’s brother, Justin, is a freshman for the Huskies and played four minutes, recording an assist and a turnover.
“I was rooting for UCLA,” Jrue Holiday said. “I wanted to wear my Washington stuff just to support my brother, but my mom wouldn’t let me.”