It was a routine play in practice last Wednesday. Bill Edwards moved in to collect a rebound when Andrew Jones and Steve Kirkpatrick got tangled up under the net.
The forwards fell over, and Kirkpatrick crashed into Edward's knee, sending the freshman to the floor and putting him on the shelf for at least four weeks. Edwards said his knee bent the wrong way and called it a "freak accident."
"It's frustrating at first after it had just happened," Edwards said. "I knew I had to stay positive and just see what the results were. My teammates just told me to keep my head up and stay positive."
The 6-foot-6 forward has started rehabbing the injury, a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee. Edwards said his rehab so far has involved some stimulation and icing it while still doing cardio work, and he is working hard to keep up with the learning curve of being a freshman.
Nittany Lions coach Ed DeChellis said Edwards had been in the rotation after a strong fall camp, replacing what the freshman brought to the floor would be a team effort. Edwards is a versatile player, and it will be up to the rest of the Lions front court to provide the needed production.
"He can do different things, he's a good passer and a good shooter," DeChellis said. "I don't know if it's one specific guy we say, 'Hey you need to step up because he's not there.' He didn't play any games yet. He hasn't played when the lights are on, and that's a little bit different."
Though relegated to watching at practice, Edwards can still learn the game and be a part of the team. The Lions scrimmaged on the road against Duquesne, and DeChellis said Edwards made the trip to watch his teammates play.
As a freshman, Edwards was still learning the entire system when he went down, but he called the injury a small setback and said it wouldn't slow him from learning. The team has regular film sessions, and Edwards said he can learn from the video as well as just watching his teammates run through drills and eventually games.
"While I'm out, I'm going to be learning some things," Edwards said. "The games I'll be missing I'm just going to watch and be a student of the game and see what I can pick up so that when I get back in the lineup I can jump in and contribute."
Knee injuries are scary for most athletes, and Edwards said he was lucky his didn't require surgery. For now, the forward is just focused on getting plenty of rest and looking forward to when he can get back on the floor, which he hopes will be sometime in December.
The freshman's teammates don't think missing time will slow down his growth as a player. Junior point guard Talor Battle said Edwards is already familiar with the offense from practice and the freshman will be ready to go once he is back.
"Bill can score, he can help us offensively," Battle said. "He knows the game, so he can help us when he gets back. He's a bigger body, he can get some rebounds, he can do a lot of things for us, so we're excited. Hopefully we can get him back soon and see what he can do for us."
