Injury could force Iowa's Cully Payne to miss season

IOWA CITY - Injuries have decimated Iowa's back court early this season with starters and team captains Cully Payne and Matt Gatens both requiring surgery.

Gatens, a junior, returned after missing the team's first two games but has yet to hit his stride on the court. Payne, however, could miss the rest of the season.

Payne, a sophomore, had outpatient surgery on Tuesday to repair a sports hernia and torn oblique muscle. Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery acknowledged Payne, who started 37 consecutive games before last week, could red-shirt but said that decision won't be made for a while. Payne has difficulty moving around and has yet to attend practice even as an observer.

"I think the thing was he wanted to postpone the surgery until the end of the season," McCaffery said. "But it got to the point where it became evident he needed surgery. When they got in there, it showed he clearly needed it. So any time you have a situation like that, sometimes it takes a little bit longer. Sometimes you get in there, and it's not as bad as they thought. Sometimes it's a little worse than they thought. In his case, unfortunately, he's got some work to do."

Payne averaged 3.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds in five games this year. He led the team in assists with 122 last year, which ranks third-best all-time for an Iowa freshman.

Gatens suffered a torn tendon in his left hand during a preseason practice and had surgery on Oct. 28. He missed the first two games and has struggled to return to form.

Gatens averages 8.2 points a game, down about four points from last year. He shot about 33 percent from the floor last year but now is down to 21 percent. He didn't play during a 15-minute second-half stretch against Wake Forest on Tuesday.

"He's not 100 percent," McCaffery said. "Conditioning, I don't think he's too bad. But health wise, he's just not as comfortable as he was. You look at his rebound numbers, his steal numbers. I don't think he's going to lead the league or anything, but they'd be better. He can't stick his left hand in there and knock the ball away. He's a little reluctant to go get a two-hand traffic rebound. He's trying to make sure that he's effective at the offensive end."

Gatens, an Iowa City native, makes no excuses for his play but admits wearing a protective wrap for his left hand limits his shooting touch.

"Catching the ball has been tough," he said. "But I don't want to make excuses. I've had some time here to work on it and try to get used catching and shooting with it. Hopefully, soon, it will be nothing, and I can get back to my natural shot."

McCaffery noted Gatens' obvious frustration but said his "numbers will improve."

"You know, his numbers are down from what he would have expected," McCaffery said. "He's worked too hard. He worked extremely hard in the spring and in the summer and the fall. For the first three and a half weeks of practice, he was as dominant a player as I've ever coached.

"You look at the shooting percentage is 28 from the field, 21 from (3-point range). That's not him. Those numbers will improve."