by Mike Miller
This week brought another checkpoint in Collin Hartman’s recovery from knee surgery.
Indiana’s fifth-year senior forward is now cleared for contact — and seemingly ahead of schedule.
Although the medical clearance is a significant milestone in Hartman’s recovery process, especially now that the Hoosiers are back on the court for summer workouts, IU isn’t in any hurry to saddle Hartman with a full workload. The goal is to bring Hartman along carefully, with a bigger focus on having Hartman fully ready and prepared for preseason practice later this fall.
“As we approach these team workouts we’ll be very, very smart with him,” Indiana coach Archie Miller said. “There is no real reason to speed him up. But I think confidence-wise, mentally and physically, he feels as good as he’s felt in a long, long time. We’ll continue to take him slow, but he’s ahead of schedule just in terms of where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s going to do.”
Hartman is nearly 10 months removed from surgery on his left knee, which was damaged while completing a non-contact drill last September. It was the second major knee injury Hartman has suffered during his time at Indiana, following a torn ACL in his right knee suffered shortly after his freshman year ended in 2014.
Speaking with reporters for the first time since going through Senior Night festivities in February, Hartman echoed his new coach on Tuesday, balancing his excitement to return to action with the understanding that there’s no need to rush.
“It is a big step, obviously,” Hartman said. “We have taken this process somewhat slowly. We have been very diligent in the rehab and really staying safe, taking the time that we have. There is no need to push into contact and risk a third injury. It has been good to take those steps forward and see the progress.”
Indiana wants that progress to manifest itself on the court this season, especially after the Hoosiers realized how large of a void Hartman’s absence left them last season. Just as much as the Hoosiers missed Hartman’s hustle and versatility as a player, they missed his voice and guidance in team huddles.
Maybe even more so.
“Me and OG (Anunoby) used to joke about it, calling him the annoying guy you always hated hearing, but you knew he was right,” IU forward Juwan Morgan said. “I think that’s what we really missed last year.”
Hartman’s decision to return for a fifth year was a major victory for Miller and the IU program he inherits. Not only does Indiana get a valuable leader, it gets a key contributor and producer on both ends of the floor.
Hartman has started 36 of the 67 games he’s played since emerging as a role player during his sophomore season, hitting 40 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 3.1 rebounds during that span.
During his rehabilitation, Hartman says he has focused on returning as one of IU’s most versatile players next season.
“Simply put, (I want to be able to do) whatever the game calls for at that point in time,” Hartman said, “whether it’s guarding a big or guarding a guard or scoring 20 or scoring 0 and getting rebounds or steals or whatever. I just want to be able to play every position that coach needs me and be able to be a Swiss Army knife, where he could put me anywhere at any point in time and I can carry out my job.”
Playing for Miller and the new coaching staff was also a selling point in Hartman’s decision to return.
“It is cool to be a part of two eras,” Hartman said. “I had four great years with Coach (Tom) Crean, won a championship. I have known him since I was in eighth grade. We have an extensive history between the two of us and I am appreciative for everything he has done for me, and I am also looking forward to what we do with Coach Miller and what we have going forward in this year. One of the main reasons I came back was just because I do not get another chance at this.”
And as he continues to work his way back to full speed, that’s the lesson Hartman is impressing most upon his teammates.
“It is hard to put into words what this jersey really means, especially for the guys coming on the campus,” Hartman said. “It is different when you are in Bloomington. People recognize you, they know every move we are making, they know if we are doing something good or doing something bad, walking around or whatever, they know. It means more than they can imagine.
“A lot of these guys have never played without a name on their back and we do not. We just have a name across our chests and that is all that we represent. Yes, we represent our family and represent ourselves, but at the end of the day we represent millions of people that are IU fans that live and die by every game we play.”
Soon, Hartman will be playing in games once again — a reward for almost a year’s worth of rest and rehab that is quickly reaching an end.
“The way he’s handled things in this off-season, he’s given himself a chance to kick off October, November full go,” Miller said.
http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2017/07/hartman-cleared-for-contact-plans-to-take-it-slow/
Go Hoosiers!
This week brought another checkpoint in Collin Hartman’s recovery from knee surgery.
Indiana’s fifth-year senior forward is now cleared for contact — and seemingly ahead of schedule.
Although the medical clearance is a significant milestone in Hartman’s recovery process, especially now that the Hoosiers are back on the court for summer workouts, IU isn’t in any hurry to saddle Hartman with a full workload. The goal is to bring Hartman along carefully, with a bigger focus on having Hartman fully ready and prepared for preseason practice later this fall.
“As we approach these team workouts we’ll be very, very smart with him,” Indiana coach Archie Miller said. “There is no real reason to speed him up. But I think confidence-wise, mentally and physically, he feels as good as he’s felt in a long, long time. We’ll continue to take him slow, but he’s ahead of schedule just in terms of where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s going to do.”
Hartman is nearly 10 months removed from surgery on his left knee, which was damaged while completing a non-contact drill last September. It was the second major knee injury Hartman has suffered during his time at Indiana, following a torn ACL in his right knee suffered shortly after his freshman year ended in 2014.
Speaking with reporters for the first time since going through Senior Night festivities in February, Hartman echoed his new coach on Tuesday, balancing his excitement to return to action with the understanding that there’s no need to rush.
“It is a big step, obviously,” Hartman said. “We have taken this process somewhat slowly. We have been very diligent in the rehab and really staying safe, taking the time that we have. There is no need to push into contact and risk a third injury. It has been good to take those steps forward and see the progress.”
Indiana wants that progress to manifest itself on the court this season, especially after the Hoosiers realized how large of a void Hartman’s absence left them last season. Just as much as the Hoosiers missed Hartman’s hustle and versatility as a player, they missed his voice and guidance in team huddles.
Maybe even more so.
“Me and OG (Anunoby) used to joke about it, calling him the annoying guy you always hated hearing, but you knew he was right,” IU forward Juwan Morgan said. “I think that’s what we really missed last year.”
Hartman’s decision to return for a fifth year was a major victory for Miller and the IU program he inherits. Not only does Indiana get a valuable leader, it gets a key contributor and producer on both ends of the floor.
Hartman has started 36 of the 67 games he’s played since emerging as a role player during his sophomore season, hitting 40 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaging 3.1 rebounds during that span.
During his rehabilitation, Hartman says he has focused on returning as one of IU’s most versatile players next season.
“Simply put, (I want to be able to do) whatever the game calls for at that point in time,” Hartman said, “whether it’s guarding a big or guarding a guard or scoring 20 or scoring 0 and getting rebounds or steals or whatever. I just want to be able to play every position that coach needs me and be able to be a Swiss Army knife, where he could put me anywhere at any point in time and I can carry out my job.”
Playing for Miller and the new coaching staff was also a selling point in Hartman’s decision to return.
“It is cool to be a part of two eras,” Hartman said. “I had four great years with Coach (Tom) Crean, won a championship. I have known him since I was in eighth grade. We have an extensive history between the two of us and I am appreciative for everything he has done for me, and I am also looking forward to what we do with Coach Miller and what we have going forward in this year. One of the main reasons I came back was just because I do not get another chance at this.”
And as he continues to work his way back to full speed, that’s the lesson Hartman is impressing most upon his teammates.
“It is hard to put into words what this jersey really means, especially for the guys coming on the campus,” Hartman said. “It is different when you are in Bloomington. People recognize you, they know every move we are making, they know if we are doing something good or doing something bad, walking around or whatever, they know. It means more than they can imagine.
“A lot of these guys have never played without a name on their back and we do not. We just have a name across our chests and that is all that we represent. Yes, we represent our family and represent ourselves, but at the end of the day we represent millions of people that are IU fans that live and die by every game we play.”
Soon, Hartman will be playing in games once again — a reward for almost a year’s worth of rest and rehab that is quickly reaching an end.
“The way he’s handled things in this off-season, he’s given himself a chance to kick off October, November full go,” Miller said.
http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2017/07/hartman-cleared-for-contact-plans-to-take-it-slow/
Go Hoosiers!
