Butler star Rotnei Clarke, who did in Marquette earlier this year with a buzzer beater, and helped take down the then #1 Hoosiers, was injured in Butler’s 79-73 victory at Dayton on Saturday.
He will undergo further medical evaluation. Clarke was discharged from Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and returned to Indianapolis with Butler’s team.
He received treatment and did a light workout on Sunday. No time table has been set for his return.
“The MRI confirmed the presence of a significant neck sprain. His spinal cord and cervical discs were viewed normal,” said Galloy. “Right now, he’s sore and stiff, but he’s out of the collar. The next question is when he can resume contact.”
Clarke was injured in the first half of the game at Dayton. He came up with a steal and was attempting to score when he was fouled on the lay-up attempt and crashed into the basket support. He remained on the floor for eight minutes, and eventually was taken from the court on a stretcher. He was transported to Miami Valley Hospital, where it was determined that there was no fracture. He returned to Indianapolis with the Butler team.
“I feel blessed to be walking,” Clarke said upon his return. “When I hit my head, I rolled over and I couldn’t feel anything from my neck down. That’s what scared me the most. My body was just tingling. By the time Ryan (Galloy) got out there, I started getting some feeling in my hands, and after awhile, I was fine in my legs.”
“I’m still sore in my shoulders, and I’ve got a bad headache,” added the Butler scoring leader.
Clarke, who transferred to Butler from Arkansas last year, leads the 14-2 Bulldogs in scoring with a 16.3 average. He was ranked third in the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring heading into the game at Dayton.
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