'We've been snake bit': Walsh University men's basketball team dealing with key injuries

Mike Popovich, The Repository
·2 min read
Walsh head coach Jeff Young draws up a play with Milan Square during a Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament game against Findlay last season.
Walsh head coach Jeff Young draws up a play with Milan Square during a Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament game against Findlay last season.
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NORTH CANTON — This is not what Walsh University men's basketball coach Jeff Young wanted to deal with so early in the season.

The Cavaliers are 2-2 going into Wednesday's lunchtime home game against Carlow. That's not Young's biggest concern. Walsh's losses have come against third-ranked Indiana (Pennsylvania) and Missouri-St. Louis, the team that beat the Cavs in last year's NCAA Division II Tournament.

Dealing with a rash of injuries is what's most frustrating. Walsh was without a starter and three other rotation players Saturday against Indiana. The Hawks took advantage of the absences and beat the Cavs 74-60.

Injuries are part of the game. Young, though, has seen a lot of it in recent years.

"We've missed a guy or two, and I get it," Young said. "It just seems like we've been snake bit here with some of these injuries."

Walsh's Garrison Keeslar (left) shoots with defense from Carnegie Mellon's Buckley DeJardin during a game last week. It was Keeslar's final game before suffering an ankle injury that is expected to keep out three to five weeks.
Walsh's Garrison Keeslar (left) shoots with defense from Carnegie Mellon's Buckley DeJardin during a game last week. It was Keeslar's final game before suffering an ankle injury that is expected to keep out three to five weeks.

Luke Howes has the longest road to recovery. The sophomore guard has a meniscus injury that will likely keep him out until March. He could play in the NCAA Division II Tournament if Walsh makes it again.

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Guard Quentin Toles (shoulder) and forward Brent Walker (ankle) are day-to-day. Young expects to have the two sophomores back next week.

A big blow occurred last Friday when sophomore swingman Garrison Keeslar suffered an ankle injury in practice. Walsh's second-leading scorer may be out three to five weeks.

"He went up for a rebound and came down on a teammate's foot," Young said. "It blew up right away. He knew it was bad."

Walsh's Tim Smith Jr. dunks against Missouri-St. Louis in an NCAA Division II Tournament game last season.
Walsh's Tim Smith Jr. dunks against Missouri-St. Louis in an NCAA Division II Tournament game last season.

For now, the Cavs may have to lean a little more on leading scorer Tim Smith Jr. The junior forward scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss to Indiana.

"Tim gets it," Young said. " ... He kind of took the game over, and I love to see that. He made some nice plays."

How Walsh would have fared against Indiana with full roster would have been intriguing. The Hawks won 33 games and reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight last season. They were national runners-up in 2010 and 2015.

"We were going to scrimmage them last year, but couldn't work out a date," Young said. "We figured it would be good for us to play a top-10 team. We're going to go over there next year for the return game.

"If you can win one of those, it certainly helps you. I think (playing them) definitely helps you down the stretch."

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Injuries sideline key Walsh University men's basketball players