Akok Akok’s injury just a brutal blow
HARTFORD — An athlete with so much vertical explosion, a young basketball player with so much promise as Akok Akok, hops, hops, hits the floor, grabs his lower leg. You pray. You pray you don’t hear the one word. Achilles.
A lower calf sprain or an ankle sprain, even a severe high ankle sprain, is a godsend. A broken leg does not break dreams.
A severe Achilles tendon injury?
Assistant coach Tom Moore came back from the locker room to confirm the news, but Dan Hurley already knew in his head, in his heart, so did trainer James
Doran that the one word was coming.
Achilles.
That’s why Hurley brushed back tears during the first half even as the UConn coach urged on his team and periodically blistered the ears of the three referees. That’s why Hurley punched at the floor at center court after a huge three from Christian Vital and began choking back his words before a question was asked in the press conference after the Huskies’ 64-61 victory over Memphis Sunday before 15,564 fans at the XL Center.
“It’s a big win obviously,” Hurley said. “There’s no joy it when something like that happens in the first minute. Sports is brutal sometimes. Life is brutal sometimes.”
That’s why after answering one question on Akok, the senior Vital, who had thrown his arm around his freshman teammate on the bench in the first half and whispered words of encouragement, shook his head and said, “No more Akok questions.”
“Awful,” Tom Espinosa, Akok’s prep school coach at Putnam Science Academy, texted.
Just awful.
Akok Akok rested on campus Sunday night after a team, now with two starting players lost for the season, had shown so much resilience that Hurley was moved to say, “What you see is a program that has developed character. Everyone pooh-poohs culture, but most of the people who pooh-pooh culture don’t know
spit about how to build an organization. They’ve really never been in one. We’re building a championshiplevel culture here with the way we’re competing and how determined we are to win.”
That was Hurley, an emotional man on a particularly emotional Sunday, defiantly shaking his fist at the basketball gods, resisting so many tight defeats and the losses of Tyler Polley to a torn ACL and now Akok to injury. That was Hurley punching out at adversity. Vital had 23. James Bouknight had 17. Isaiah Whaley turned in 35 inspired minutes. Take that!
Akok will have an MRI done Monday and if the suspected torn Achilles is confirmed, one of the nation’s premier shot-blockers could be lost an estimated 10 months to a year. That’s the usual recovery period.
“It doesn’t look good,”
Hurley said.
For months this game had hype. Penny Hardaway had put together a dazzling recruiting class that some thought had the talent to make a run at the national title. And then James Wiseman left, D.J. Jeffries got hurt and Memphis is now another team scratching for a postseason berth. Still, Precious Achiuwa, who Hurley wanted badly, was jazzed to show Hurley what he didn’t get. Akok was equally excited to show Achiuwa something.
“He was revved up to have a special day,” Hurley said. “I know he wanted to win that matchup.”
Only 58 seconds into the game, Akok timed it beautifully, blocked Precious’ shot. “Beat it up,” Hurley said. Yet Akok appeared to land awkwardly. He hopped. He hopped. He went down. He started to get up. He went back down. The training staff, the medical staff, the coaches surrounded him. Hurley spoke to Akok as he lay on the court. The place grew
quiet. Finally, Akok was helped up and student assistant coach Mamadou Diarra, his own career ended by leg problems, and Sid Wilson helped him off the floor to the locker room.
“I was shocked,” Whaley said. “Everybody was shook up.”
Minutes later, his lower left leg in a protective boot, Akok returned to the UConn bench on crutches. Hurley would go over to him and give Akok a hug that went on for what seemed like an eternity. He brushed away tears. Akok hobbled out to the huddle for timeouts. And later as Akok seemed to sag in his sadness, Hurley went over again. Vital wrapped his arm around Akok.
“It sucks for one of our brothers to go down,” Vital said. “We already lost one. We’re going to be with him the rest of the way.”
No more Akok questions, he said.
“We all felt for him,” James Bouknight said. “We just wanted to win for him.”
“It was a real emotional thing to see him out there,” Hurley said. “He hadn’t played perfect games. His approach every day is perfect.”
Akok wants to be a star. He wants to be an NBA player. He has all the tools. He needs to polish his offensive skills still. He needs to learn the nuances of the offensive game. He needs to get his upper body stronger and that can be addressed even as he recovers. Kevin Durant is going through the Achilles’ process and Hurley said the quality of medicine today makes him confident Akok will make a full recovery.
“The quality of medicine and the quality of the kid’s work ethic,” Hurley said. “I’ve never seen (many) with this his kid’s work ethic. He deserved better. He will be back.”
The time frame though is to be determined. The road to the pros is still out there miles ahead. Sometimes athletes struggle after an Achilles, never the same. Others are OK. If there is justice, Akok Akok will be back, making millions, jumping through NBA roofs.
“It may take months,” said Hurley, when asked how long it will take him to recover emotionally. “It’ll take a long time. People have no idea how close these kids are to each other. Coaches, players, they’re family. The players on the court were knocked back for quite some time, just lost mentally. Christian did a good job of getting us regrouped out there and the coaches did a great job of rallying the group.”
After the game, Akok went straight to the team bus. A young man of few words had none on this day of pain.
“We’re trying to keep his spirits high,” Whaley said. “He’s really hurting now. We’re going to rally with him.”
His teammates and his coach fight on.