Hamstring Injury Puts End To Adam Wolfe's Season
1/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's basketball team will be without the services of sophomore forward Adam Wolfe (Westerville, Ohio/South H.S.) for the remainder of the 2001-02 season as the result of a hamstring injury, head coach Tom Izzo announced Wednesday. Wolfe suffered a severe hamstring tear in the right leg in the first half of last Saturday's Penn State contest (Jan. 19). After undergoing diagnostic testing, the Michigan State sports medicine staff has determined that Wolfe will not return to the court this season.
"It's very disappointing news," said Izzo. "I feel worse for Adam than anyone. He had improved a lot over the season and was having a great sophomore year. Not only will we miss his 10 points per game and five rebounds, but we'll also miss the 21 minutes he was averaging and the experience he brought to the floor.
"The thing we must do now is make sure that Adam heals properly, so that he can return next season and continue the success that he was having this year. He has a lot of basketball ahead of him. Like everything else in athletics, we must move on and have a good year on behalf of Adam, who will still be an important part of this team."
A long-range treatment for Wolfe's injury has not been determined as he awaits further testing.
"We will conduct additional diagnostic testing over the next couple of days before making a determination for treatment," said Dr. Jeff Kovan, Director of Sports Medicine at MSU. "Due to the nature of this injury, we feel that any attempt to return too early risks the possibility of reinjury."
In 17 games this season, Wolfe averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per contest. He also started seven games for the Spartans. He shot 46.7 percent (57-122) from the field, including 46.2 percent (12-26) from three-point range and 82.9 percent (34-41) from the free throw line. In his Spartan career, Wolfe has played in 40 games, including seven starts, averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds. This past summer, Wolfe played on the Big Ten Foreign Tour team, leading the squad in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg).
"Obviously, it's very disappointing," said Wolfe. "I feel that I was really starting to improve as a basketball player. I wish I could be out on the floor with my teammates as they continue to fight throughout the season, but I will still help them in any way that I can. My main thing now is getting healthy and ready to play next year."
