Terps' Ibekwe Uncertain When He'll Return

Center Out With Cracked Rib

Ekene Ibekwe has missed two straight games and likely won't play Saturday in vs. visiting No. 7 Duke. (Joel Richardson -- The Washington Post)

Maryland center Ekene Ibekwe said that, for almost two months, he has been experiencing pain from the cracked rib that will likely keep him out for at least another week.

Ibekwe, who missed his second straight game Tuesday against Virginia Tech, was unsure of the nature of the injury until he recently underwent X-rays. The sophomore had felt back pain throughout the season that grew progressively worse.

Ibekwe was also unsure how he cracked the rib, located in the upper portion of his chest near his shoulder, but was told it could have been caused by a seemingly harmless act such as sneezing.

Ibekwe said he will be reexamined today, but Maryland (14-7, 5-5) likely will be without Ibekwe when the Terrapins host Duke on Saturday at Comcast Center. Asked when he will return, Ibekwe said, "I'm not really sure, maybe a couple weeks."

Ibekwe said he recently has been sick and thought the pain in his chest was related to the illness.

"I thought my back was tight," Ibekwe said. "I can't really play like this. It affects my breathing sometimes. And now I know what it is."

The 6-foot-9 California native had played well in Maryland's key wins against Duke and Georgia Tech, scoring 29 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the two victories. He fouled out of Maryland's 88-73 loss to Clemson on Feb. 1 in just 18 minutes and told Coach Gary Williams before Saturday's loss at Miami that he could not play because of back pain.

Maryland missed Ibekwe's athletic presence against the Hurricanes, who forced Maryland's front court into early foul trouble and beat the Terps in overtime. But Maryland's inside tandem of Will Bowers and James Gist combined for 11 rebounds and 14 points Tuesday, when the Terps beat Virginia Tech, 86-71.

Williams also used a smaller lineup at times Tuesday because Ibekwe was hurt and starting forward Travis Garrison picked up two fouls in the game's first two minutes.

"The lineup might be that way for a while," Williams said. "I was proud of our inside guys."

Williams later said he did not know how long Ibekwe would be sidelined. Ibekwe is expected to be in uniform for the Duke game, just as he has been for the two games he missed. His availability will depend on the amount of pain he feels before the game.

"It's not like it's a knee or an ankle and you can just put a cast on it," Ibekwe said. "The best thing to do is just rest it."

Terrapins Note: Williams said yesterday that first-year assistant Mike Lonergan will interview this weekend for the head coaching job at Vermont, where Tom Brennan is stepping down after this season. Lonergan led his alma mater, Catholic University, to the Division III national title as head coach in 2001.

Williams, who called the interview preliminary, has said that he encourages his assistants to become head coaches. Eleven of his former assistants have gone on to head coaching positions either in college or the NBA.