LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The headline that Joey Brunk made during his first media availability in months was that he plans to play basketball again next season but he has not decided if that will be at Indiana University.
But the more complicated story to write is this:
How many games did Brunk’s absence because of a back injury cost the Hoosiers this season?
One?
At least two or three?
None?
Brunk cannot give you a number. IU head coach Archie Miller cannot give you a number. I can’t give you a number.
“It’s definitely been a frustrating deal, working my way back into practice,” Brunk said. “With everything that happened with my back, it’s not ideal ... it’s been frustrating.”
Indiana might not have missed Brunk as much as Louisville missed Malik Williams, who reinjured his foot after a three-game return. But Brunk, a 6-foot-11-inch center, was certain to be at least a replacement level player as well as the Hoosiers’ No. 3 (or No. 2) rebounder. He would have eased the load on Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson.
Jackson-Davis has averaged 34.3 minutes, third in the Big Ten overall but tops among frontcourt players. IU is one of just four Big Ten teams with three players who have averaged at least 30 minutes per game.
With a pair of open scholarships, Miller chose not to recruit sufficient frontcourt depth. Brunk said that he was not certain was caused the back injury, which involved a disc.
“It might just have been a mileage issue, being an older guy, a lot of banging,” he said.
The absence of Brunk has limited the Hoosiers. He was a critical contributor in at least three IU wins last season: against Minnesota, Nebraska and Michigan State.
This season, Brunk has not played one second — and he won’t. Brunk said Monday that his focus will remain on his health and getting prepared for next season — wherever that might be.
Without Brunk and now guard Armaan Franklin (foot injury), Indiana has slipped to 12-12 and out of most NCAA Tournament bracket projections.
What went wrong with the Hoosiers?
“Obviously, we’re playing a lot of really good competition,” Brunk said. “The Big Ten, there are none of those gimme games. Everyone that you’re playing is a good team and competitive.
“There’s a few possessions every game. The line between winning and losing every game is so, so small.
“There’s some small things that we need to get back to doing to win and make sure we finish this out strong.”
Will Brunk contribute to trying to fix Indiana basketball next season?
Stay tuned.
Brunk, a fifth-year player who transferred to IU in 2019, earned his bachelor’s degree at Butler. He said that he will complete work on a master’s degree at IU this spring, with a major in parks and recreation. Brunk said that he planned to pursue another advanced degree.
But he was uncertain if that would or would not be at Indiana. He said that he declined an offer to participate in Senior Day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last Saturday because that would have symbolized the end of his IU career.
“The Senior Day, those were conversations that I had with the staff,” Brunk said. “I chose not to participate.
“One, because it felt like if participated that’s kind of like a closure for myself and how I felt. My decision wasn’t really set in stone.
“On the other end, that day was about Al (Durham, a senior) and Cooper (Bybee) and what they have done and what they have contributed.
“As far as next year goes, I’ve thought a little bit about it. That’s definitely going to be a conversation that I’ll have this spring with Coach Miller and the rest of the staff, kind of in-depth and figure out what’s best.“
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