Kansas freshman phenom Darryn Peterson has looked worth all the hype so far in a Jayhawk jersey. 26 points in his unofficial debut, a 90-82 exhibition win against Louisville, put any skeptic to bed. When the No. 19 Jayhawks took down the Green Bay Phoenix tonight in what was a monster 91-54 win, Peterson notched 21 points on an elite 7-11 shooting, along with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Yet a major concern for Peterson has been his health. You see, in the second half of Kansas’ win against Louisville, Peterson hardly played due to what was later deemed as cramps by head coach Bill Self.
Before Kansas’ second exhibition, a 71-35 win against Fort Hays State, Self revealed that Peterson was going to be missing due to a stomach bug.
When speaking towards the end of last week, after the Jayhawks’ exhibitions were completed, Self said this about Peterson’s health.
“He’s fine, he practiced today full speed. So is he 100%? Probably not, but is he practicing? Yes, so I certainly don’t anticipate holding him anymore from this point forward, you know, unless something else happens.”
Against the Phoenix, just a few minutes into the second half, Peterson exited having played 21 minutes due to injury. After Kansas' massive win, the two-time National Champion coach spoke on Peterson’s latest injury worry.
When asked whether Peterson did not enter due to the nature of Kansas’s large lead or cramps, Self was quoted,
“Probably a combination, it was bothering him, he said he felt it [cramps] coming on, so no reason to [put him back in]. We need to practice tomorrow, so hopefully we can get him out there for practice tomorrow. But yeah, that was the primary reason. If it has been a closer game, I’m sure he would have tried to go back out there.”
This comes as something to keep note of as the Jayhawks are set to take on the No. 25 UNC Tar Heels on Friday, as Kansas will travel to the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT.
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