Three years ago Purdue started 4 freshman on their basketball team, and they had an awesome year. Even back then I was looking forward to this year when they would all be seniors. Quite a few things have changed with the team over the last couple years, but the anchor of that young team was still there, and things looked promising.
Robbie Hummel suffered an ACL tear in the second half of last season. Immediately the team seemed to go from contending to surviving in the Big Ten. He had the spring and summer to recover, and this fall he was going to come back to lead the team to the top of the conference and beyond. This morning on the first practice of the year Hummel re-injured his ACL and it out for the season. Upon hearing the news my level of excitement for this basketball season instantly tanked. This was supposed to be the year that it all came together. This was supposed to be the year Purdue made their run. Hopefully they still have a good showing. It just stinks that Hummel has to miss the entire season. They aren't going to be nearly as strong without him.
I'm sure they will hit him with a medical red-shirt so he will still have another year of eligibility. Maybe next year they will put all the pieces together. Having injured the same leg twice, he may never be able to play at the same level he did his freshman and sophomore years. I don't want to write off this season entirely, but it is tough to be extremely positive about it. Hummel's injury has probably taken Purdue from the top of the Big Ten to the middle of the pack. It's definitely a major bummer.
