That didn’t surprise coach Todd Lickliter, one reason Cole’s absence has hit the Hawkeyes hard.
“He’s been such a positive person and had that type of an impact on our team. His teammates will be there to support him because they know he would have done the same for them,’’ Lickliter said Monday. “He’s such a likeable guy, you have to hurt for him.’’
Cole will miss the rest of his freshman season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in left knee, an injury he suffered during the second half of Saturday’s win over Southeastern Louisiana.
“We don’t have any other choice but to move on and we’ll have to do it together. I don’t think one player will be able to give us what Jarryd was giving us,’’ Lickliter said.
He indicated Cyrus Tate and J.R. Angle likely will soak up the minutes Cole filled while averaging 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Tate is listed as the likely starter for Wednesday’s 8 p.m. Big Ten opener against 11th-ranked Indiana.
“Cy did a great job coming in the other night, and he was battling with Jarryd for the starting assignment earlier this season, so that’s the direction we’ll probably go,’’ Lickliter said.
Angle saw several minutes at a forward’s position in Saturday’s game, finishing with a career-high 10 points, and the junior does figure into future plans at the position.
“That’s an adjustment we’ll have to make for the rest of the season, and J.R. has found ways to be competitive,’’ Lickliter said. “We’ll adjust.’’
That’s nothing new for the Hawkeyes (7-6).
Lickliter laughed Monday when asked if he felt a little snake bitten in his first season at Iowa, given that the team was without starting guard Tony Freeman for 10 games and has had three other players miss at least one game.
“The average snowfall for Iowa City in December is 7 inches, and we’ve had 20 this year. That’s probably my fault, too,’’ Lickliter said. “I just feel bad for the guys we’ve had out. They put so much work into the game.’’
Because Cole played in 13 games — more than one-third of Iowa’s scheduled games — it is unlikely that he would qualify for a medical redshirt year.
“He hadn’t even played in a conference game yet. That’s the shame of it,’’ Lickliter said.
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
