Vedran Vukusic picked up the loose ball in the corner of the court at his team’s pre-practice shoot-around at Welsh-Ryan Arena. He stepped to the 3-point line, feet together, measured the shot and released.
Swish.
Vukusic, wearing a gray No. 11 practice jersey, then dribbled to the top of the key, stopped, and launched a three from NBA range.
Bang.
The display of long-distance accuracy wouldn’t have been unusual for the 6-foot-8 Vukusic, who made 47 percent of his 3-pointers last season. But this time, there was one difference: He was shooting left-handed.
Vukusic has had to shoot with his off hand since he reinjured his right shoulder in Northwestern’s second exhibition game on Nov. 13, just nine days before he was scheduled to start in the season opener against Maryland-Eastern Shore. He found out he needed surgery, and his season was over before it started.
After playing a major role on last year’s 16-13 squad that won seven games in the Big Ten, Vukusic has had to watch NU’s 10-12 (2-9 Big Ten) season from the bench. His smooth outside shot, excellent floor vision and inside presence have left a void the Cats have yet to fill, quenching some of the optimism that carried over from last season.
“Everything changed when Vedran went down,” coach Bill Carmody said.
‘it happened again’
In the exhibition game, Vukusic was fighting for a rebound along the baseline when his right arm got tangled up with another player. He let out a scream, clutched his shoulder and walked to the locker room, head bowed. After fighting through a separated right shoulder for nearly all of last season, he feared the worst.
“I couldn’t believe it happened,” Vukusic said. “It was like ‘Wow, it happened again and it’ll be another season like last year.’ I didn’t know what to think — is it worse? Is it better?”
The diagnosis — he had suffered an acute inferior shoulder dislocation — was more serious than the recurring injury that limited Vukusic to 17 minutes a game last season. The dislocation chipped off a piece of bone at the bottom of his rotator cuff, preventing the shoulder from stabilizing in one place. Without surgery, the shoulder would likely have kept popping out until the bone could not be operated on. Unlike last year, Vukusic wouldn’t have the luxury of playing through the injury. Since he did not play in a regular-season game, he received a medical redshirt and has three years of eligibility remaining.
He said he was so frustrated afterward that he considered returning home to Split, Croatia, for a few months, but decided to have surgery immediately and start the long rehabilitation process.
The thin, red scar that circles his shoulder serves as a constant reminder. Every day, he spends at least an hour in the weight room or pool working with trainers. His range of motion with the shoulder is almost completely back, and he now needs to work on strengthening the joint.
Throughout the rehab process, Vukusic has maintained his sense of humor.
A life-sized cardboard cutout of him placed in the lobby of Welsh-Ryan Arena was adorned with a knit cap, Mardi Gras beads and a sling on his right arm. Vukusic wouldn’t reveal the pranksters’ names but said he enjoyed the joke.
“I know who did it and everything,” Vukusic said. “It’s really funny.”
a crippling loss
Carmody doesn’t waver on what Vukusic meant to last season’s team.
“Last year, I said if Vedran wasn’t hurt, we would’ve had our first NCAA bid,” Carmody said. “I believe that firmly. If he was playing 30 minutes a game and was better than 60 percent.”
Despite the injury, Vukusic averaged 5.1 points on 51 percent shooting in 17 minutes per game. He separated his shoulder in the Cats’ win over Florida State on Nov. 28, returned to score a season-high 17 points against Kansas State, then separated the shoulder again just two weeks later. He played in all but four games but never got back to 100 percent.
He rested and rehabbed the entire offseason, only to suffer another shoulder injury.
“How do these Croatians beat us in tennis in the Davis Cup?” Carmody joked, referring to the United States’ Feb. 9 loss to Croatia. “Tennis is all shoulders — why do I have to get the guy with a bad shoulder?”
Carmody’s frustration is easy to understand. The Cats are struggling in areas where Vukusic would have helped. NU has made only 33 percent of its 3-pointers; Vukusic shot 47 percent last season from behind the arc. The Cats are last in the conference in rebounding; Vukusic provides size on the inside. And Vukusic’s floor vision and passing ability helps him find players cutting to the basket, a key in NU’s offense.
“He’s the kind of player who makes everyone else better,” Carmody said.
waiting in the wings
For Vukusic, sitting on the bench has been made even more difficult by the Cats’ struggles.
“It’s just frustrating to watch,” he said. “From the bench you can really see what’s wrong. You can see where the mistakes are coming from and why they’re happening.”
Vukusic said he receives encouragement from his family and friends in Croatia, but his main motivation is the chance to re-join Jitim Young and turn things around next season.
The feeling is mutual. Young said he was watching the tape of the Cats’ 2001 season-opening win over Virginia Commonwealth and was amazed by the difference Vukusic makes on the floor.
“The way we clicked and the way Vedran opened lanes and found me in transition was incredible,” Young said. “He knows where I like to get the ball, it’s like perfect timing. He would make me more exciting to watch.
“Having him in there next year is going to be fun.”
