The pain still hasn’t subsided.
Center Ivan Tolic, who sat out last season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees, said he’s still hurting.
After experiencing discomfort in both knees, Tolic had surgery on one knee in December 2002 and the other in March. Doctors diagnosed him with patella tendonitis — irritation and inflammation of the tendon between the kneecap and the lower leg.
“I just woke up one day, and they just started hurting,” Tolic said. “I never had knee problems before that.”
Tolic said doctors told him he had the most severe form of the tendonitis.
Tolic has been playing through the pain this season and will test his knees again tonight when Northwestern (7-8, 2-2 Big Ten) hosts Michigan State (7-7, 2-1) at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
The contest will mark the beginning of a three-game Spartans road trip, as they’re coming off three straight conference wins.
Although Tolic’s minutes have steadily increased over the last few games, he said his knees are only about 50 percent healthy.
“They’ve been kind of up and down,” Tolic said. “They hurt, then they don’t, but usually I do not play without pain.”
The freshman undergoes several hours of treatment on his knees almost every day, completing aquatic exercises, receiving massages and using ice. On many occasions, he arrives at practice about two hours before his teammates for rehab.
NU forward Vedran Vukusic also is recovering from a knee injury. Vukusic suffered a hyperextended knee in last Wednesday’s game against Illinois and sat out the Wildcats’ contest Saturday in Bloomington.
He began practicing with the team Monday, wearing a brace on his left knee. The forward did not participate in full-contact drills, but coach Bill Carmody said Vukusic could see limited playing time against Michigan State.
As Vukusic eases his way back into the lineup, Tolic and forward Davor Duvancic will have to help fill his role.
While Carmody said Tolic’s knees don’t seem to have gotten much better, the coach said he’d take anything he could get.
“Even if he’s half-healthy, he’s going to help us,” Carmody said.
Although Tolic struggles to run the floor, his 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame provides NU with an inside presence.
“He’s something we need,” Carmody said. “Look at him. Look at those arms — they look like legs.”
Tolic said he can help create backdoor cuts for his teammates and assist them on the boards.
In the Cats’ Saturday game against Indiana, Tolic finished with two points, two steals and four rebounds in 26 minutes. Carmody said Tolic’s most impressive feat didn’t show up in the box score. It was his toughness.
“He could hardly walk,” Carmody said.
Duvancic said Tolic is a tough defender and a legitimate low-post threat. The two faced each other several times when they lived in Croatia.
“He could easily guard any big guy in the country,” Duvancic said. “Those knees kind of kill him. Right now he’s coming back. He’s showed a lot of improvement. As soon as he gets better, I don’t know who is going to guard him.”
Wildside Scouting Report on Michigan State
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* According to the Spartans’ official Web site, all five regular starters’ area of study is “no-preference major.”
* Apparently, guard Tim Bograkos is a campus heartthrob. The Lansing Noise reports: “His 6-2 frame may be small for the game, but he’s got game, if you know what we mean.”
* Freshman center Drew Naymick and his friends spent their summer at the self-established, “Lifeguard University.” Their mascot is Steve Stiffler of the “American Pie” movies, and enrollment is limited to “hot biatches only.”
