LITTLE ROCK — Walking off the court before facing Denver on Feb. 3, UALR forward Courtney Jackson’s right knee felt stiff and throbbed.
Settling in for the final pregame preparations, the junior forward retrieved a compression sleeve for his leg to keep the muscles warm and dull the pain.
“Everything seemed to be going good, just getting loose as always,” Jackson said. “We came back to the locker room and we’re getting to hear who the starters were, and pain started coming.”
Early in the game against the Pioneers, the Trojans’ starter and leading rebounder at 5.4 per game knew something was amiss.
“Coach asked me if I was all right,” Jackson said. “Next thing, I’m out in the game and can’t maneuver as well as I could.”
After playing 14 minutes, Jackson was told by UALR trainer Michael Swtilik that he had torn his meniscus, a piece of cartilage between the femur and tibia bones where they meet at the knee.
“I’ve been frustrated about it, not being able to go and do what I know I can do,” Jackson said.
The injury has forced the Trojans (14-13, 6-6 Sun Belt Conference) to go deeper into their reserve of front court players for today’s 3 p.m. game against Middle Tennessee (14-13, 9-5) at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
While the injury hasn’t ended Jackson’s season, the tear has curtailed his minutes and limited his mobility andhis ability to track down rebounds, his main role in the UALR starting five.
“He can’t be on the floor not being full speed,” UALR Coach Steve Shields said. “He wants to play, but he’s got to have lateral quickness, got to be able to work his feet in the post. That’s something he’s very good at.”
In a 61-59 loss to Western Kentucky on Thursday night, Jackson played only four minutes and didn’t attempt a shot or collect a rebound. In his place, forward Marlon Louzeiro scored 1 point and grabbed 2 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Switlik said the extent of Jackson’s injury wasn’t pinned down immediately after the Denver game because UALR had to depart the same night for a game on Feb. 5 at Louisiana-Lafayette. The diagnosis was handed down Feb. 8 by Dr. James Vander Schilden, the team physician and orthopedic specialist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Jackson will undergo arthroscopic surgery after the season ends in March, with Vander Schilden removing the torn cartilage and smoothing out the remaining tissue to prevent further complications, Switlik said.
“He’s a thorough guy,” Switlik said of Vander Schilden. “He’s not just going to go in there and clip that out. He’s going to look at the total health of his knee and make sure everything is good.”
Shields said he relies on Jackson to tell him what level of action he can tolerate with the injured knee. Yet, the decision to curb his playing time is more for defensive reasons due to his lack of mobility, he said.
“It’s not like you can hide a guy,” Shields said. “That’s unfortunate for Courtney, but it’s where we are right now. It’s a day-by-day type thing until we have surgery.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 02/19/2011