After being selected to the All-American team after a brilliant sophomore season at UNLV and nearly jumping to the NBA, Mike Moser's junior year is in jeopardy of ending early. Already dealing with a hip flexor sprain coming into Sunday's game against California, Moser dove for a loose ball just five minutes into the game and dislocated his right elbow. His No. 21 Runnin' Rebels still managed to win, but Moser will likely be out for at least a month.
Over at Kentucky, Kyle Wiltjer continues to struggle with his shot, but his Wildcats managed to rebound from a historic tumble out of the top 25 to win two games in a row against Samford and Portland. Stephen Madison, on the other hand, continues to score in bunches for Idaho, and is now the team's leading scorer.
Here's a glance at how a handful of former Oregon high school basketball players performed in the college ranks over the past week:
Mike Moser, UNLV Runnin' Rebels (Grant)
• After having to sit out UNLV's game against Portland due to a hip flexor sprain, Moser returned to the court against California -- for five minutes -- before having to leave the game due to a dislocated elbow. X-rays were negative and Moser expects to return by mid-January. Watch the injury in slow-motion courtesy of SportsGrid.
• Gary Parrish, College Basketball Insider for CBSSports.com, writes that "Moser's injury overshadows an otherwise great day for UNLV":
What happened Sunday is either bad or really awful. Those are the options. There's no good here -- especially when you consider that Moser passed on professional opportunities after a breakout sophomore season to return to UNLV, be an All-American and perhaps lead the Rebels to their first Final Four since Jerry Tarkanian took them there in 1991. Now, who knows what the future holds? And that's among the reasons why it was tough to see Moser lying on Pete Newell Court, writhing in pain, while a hushed crowd of 8,724 looked on.• Before the gruesome injury, Moser returned to Portland on Tuesday. OregonLive.com's Mike Richman interviewed Moser after the game talking about his return to his hometown among other things.
Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky Wildcats (Jesuit)
• John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader writes, "Wiltjer's shooting remains worrisome for Kentucky":
The 6-foot-10 sophomore out of Portland is known for his dead-eye perimeter shooting. He is not the fastest player on the floor, or the most athletic, or the best defender. But he can shoot.• Dan Rieffer of WTKQ-DT out of Lexington, Kentucky, also asks, "Where In The World Has Wiltjer's Shot Gone?" Rieffer then goes on to explain the following:
He just hasn't been shooting well of late.
In the first three games of the season, Wiltjer made 16 of 30 shots for 53.3 percent. He nailed 12 of 19 three-pointers for a sizzling 63.2 percent. ... But over the next four games, Wiltjer cooled off considerably. He made just nine of 31 from the floor (29 percent) and just three of his 22 three-point attempts (13.6 percent).
Based on his numbers from three-point range through UK's eight games this year, his current pace would put Wiltjer at 80 for 230 over a 40-game season.• Leading up to Kentucky's 74-46 win over Portland on Saturday, Nick Daschel, for The Oregonian, profiled Wiltjer. He said the following about playing against the Pilots:
"It's cool playing the team from your hometown, but to be honest, it's just another game for us."E.J. Singler, Oregon Ducks (South Medford)
Saturday, Dec. 8 - Oregon 87, Idaho State 35 - 7 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists
• Bob Clark of The Register-Guard quotes Singler on playing basketball at this point in the season: “This is my favorite time of the year,” said Singler. “We’re trying to get better with the time that we have off (from classes and games) and utilize it to our benefit.”
• Clark, again, talked with Singler after Oregon blew out Idaho State, 87-35, at Matt Court:
“That’s a big one for us,” he said of the limited amount of turnovers against Idaho State. “We were really focusing on that this week. ... The Nebraska game will really test us."
The Ducks play Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Paul McCoy, Saint Mary's Gaels (Grant)
• McCoy is trying to stage a comeback for the Gaels in January after suffering the second severe knee injury of his college career. SMC Athletics sat down with the senior for a Q&A (hat tip to Nick Daschel for the link). McCoy said the following about his motivation behind the latest comeback:
Everybody tells me all the time about how hard a worker I am and how I've been able to keep my head on straight. But, the truth is that I've really struggled. People really don't see that because I always try to have a smile on my face. I struggled with confidence, mostly. I tend to overthink things. For example, if I work out and my knee hurts the next day I wonder if it is getting better - although I know it is. One of the things that pushes me is that I still believe I have a chance to play somewhere professionally. That motivates me. Being around the team and seeing them play - it isn't really jealousy - it's more like I tell myself that I really want to be out there with those guys. I've been here for three years and I want to bring something to the team. I'm trying to show leadership and encouragement since I'm a senior. But, I want to play. That has been pushing me to stay on it, stay focused. This is my last crack at it so I need to give it my all.Stephen Madison, Idaho Vandals (Jefferson)
• After yet another impressive scoring performance by Madison, he bumped up his season average to 16.6 points. The junior is now Idaho's leading scorer.
Do you know of a former Oregon high school basketball player making noise at the college level? Let me know and I'll do what I can to give them a shout out.