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 Butlerโs 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 Butlerโs team.
He received treatment and did a light workout on Sunday. No time table has been set for his return.
โThe MRI confirmed the presence of a significant neck sprain. His spinal cord and cervical discs were viewed normal,โ said Galloy. โRight now, heโs sore and stiff, but heโs out of the collar. The next question is when he can resume contact.โ
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.
โI feel blessed to be walking,โ Clarke said upon his return. โWhen I hit my head, I rolled over and I couldnโt feel anything from my neck down. Thatโs 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.โ
โIโm still sore in my shoulders, and Iโve got a bad headache,โ 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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