The most feared opponent in sports is the injury bug, and no one knows that better than Adam Ballinger.
In three years at MSU, the redshirt sophomore has fractured his fibula, played an entire season with back pains and shattered the thumb on his shooting hand.
“The years haven’t gotten off to the best start, but hopefully I’ve got it all behind me,” Ballinger said.
As MSU heads into the NCAA Tournament, Ballinger is injury-free and hoping to help the Spartans defend their 2000 NCAA Championship.
Despite only playing in 19 games and averaging a minuscule two points a game, Ballinger’s teammates are confident he can contribute.
“We definitely need him to give solid minutes coming into the tournament,” senior forward Andre Hutson said. “He’s a very versatile big man. He can step out and shoot the ball, which can cause problems for some teams.”
Hutson said the tournament is full of tough teams and short preparation time. Another big body to bang down low and rebound will help, he said.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Ballinger’s presence in the lineup has been a lift for the Spartans. He said when Ballinger is on the court, it opens up the offense.
Izzo’s comments on Ballinger are similar to his comments about A.J Granger’s play last year. Granger’s outside touch helped propel MSU to its first national title since 1979.
Despite all the injuries, many critics saw Ballinger as the player to fill the void left by Granger’s graduation in 2000. At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, with the ability to shoot from the perimeter, that seemed like a good assessment.
However, just as Izzo was praising Ballinger as the most improved player heading into the season, he shattered his thumb.
“Not being able to shoot for two months hurt,” Ballinger said. “I was ready before the season.”
Izzo said the injury set Ballinger back - not just physically, but mentally.
“Confidence is a big thing for a basketball player,” he said. “We just think we can snap our fingers and give it to them, but it doesn’t always work that way.
“There’s no secrets, it was hard for me to get comfortable with him since he was out for two months. That was probably unfair, but a reality.”
Ballinger said the injury is behind him, but it still affects his play. He said he doesn’t want to push the three-pointers because of the injury, but instead plans to focus on his mid-range jumper.
“I think what A.J. did left some big shoes to fill,” he said. “He was someone who could step out to pass and shoot the three. I think that’s what I like to do and maybe later on do a little more of that.”
In game situations Ballinger remains timid from downtown, but at the end of practice lately it’s not uncommon to watch him drop in eight straight.
“I felt bad for him for his injury early,” Hutson said. “It was devastating because he was playing well and shooting the ball really well.”
Watching everyone else play for two months made it difficult to slip back into the flow of things after the injury, Ballinger said. He said the constant juggling of the starting lineup early in the season didn’t help either.
“We’re getting our rotation down pretty good, so I kind of know when I’m going in and know what I need to do,” he said. “I’m just playing more loose and putting up my shot. Hopefully it’ll start falling more often.”
