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Sunday, January 14, 2001

Hawkeyes’ Recker overcoming tragedy
Former Hoosier putting near-fatal crash behind him to lead surprising Iowa squad
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times
The mere fact that Luke Recker is even playing basketball right now is news enough. That he's become a star again at Iowa is truly remarkable.
   It was only 18 months ago when Recker - a two-year starter at Indiana who had enough of Bob Knight and transferred to Arizona - was involved in a horrific car accident in Colorado that threw his life into chaos. He was riding in a car with five others, including girlfriend Kelly Craig and her brother Jason. Going around a sharp curve, Recker's car was plowed by a drunken driver going 70 mph.
   The driver was killed. Kelly Craig was paralyzed, her brother left in a coma. Recker, bleeding profusely, survived thanks to the help of a nurse who happened to be at the scene. Basketball suddenly was the last thing on his mind.
   That has finally changed. With his personal life back in order (Kelly Craig has regained some movement in her arms and legs; Jason Craig is still in a wheelchair), Recker has returned to the court. He transfered to Iowa, where he's closer to home, and has become the Hawkeyes' leading player.
   He scored 20 points and had two key free-throws with 1.3 seconds left in a 1-point win over Penn State last week. Then he poured in a season-high 27 points and led Iowa to a 78-62 upset over Illinois on Thursday, helping propel Iowa into the Top 25 poll.
   According to Recker, playing basketball again has been his best therapy in the wake of the accident.
   "I feel I have a lot to prove," he told the Chicago Tribune. "When I got in my accident, a lot of people said, 'I don't know if he's going to be the same player.' I think I've shown I've become a better player. I think I've become a better shooter. I think I've improved my ballhandling, my athleticism, my defense."

NEWS OF THE WEIRD: Plenty of basketball players get hurt during games, but what about coaches? It happened last week to Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis' Ron Hunter. Making matters even worse, he doesn't know how it happened.
   Sometime during the Jaguars' 73-71 loss to Youngstown State, Hunter somehow managed to break his lower left leg.
   "All of a sudden, I felt this excruciating pain shoot up my leg, and I had to sit down in my office," he said. "I couldn't walk. I told my wife that I had to have it examined."
   Though he'll continue to coach at IUPUI, Hunter will be a little less mobile on the sidelines, wearing a cast below his knee for at least six weeks. He'll use a rolling stool during games.
   "For the first time in my life, I won't be getting up (to protest calls in games)," Hunter said. "I'm sure the officials will love that and, truthfully, my players probably will too."

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Wow, somebody up there likes us. How else do you explain three correct upset picks in the last four weeks? As mentioned before, Iowa stunned Illinois, 78-62, on Thursday, upping the season record to 3-4.
   Last time we had a chance to reach the .500 mark, we failed miserably. Not so this week, when a reeling Kentucky team turns its season around by knocking off No. 4 Tennessee Tuesday night in Lexington.

DISASTER OF THE WEEK: Bob Huggins isn't known for his calm demeanor on the court, but even this was a bit extreme.
   After a disastrous Cincinnati loss to Marquette, 47-44, last Wednesday, Huggins was so irate he evicted his players from the locker room at the Shoemaker Center and made them change in the men's soccer locker room.
   Huggins' explanation: "We've had champions dress in that locker room, and we certainly weren't playing like champions or with the commitment to be champions."
   Apparently he doesn't think too much of the Bearcat soccer program.



Includes information obtained from other sources. Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com.

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