Beyond the arc: Dub Malaise, Mounting injuries, Billy Preston

Double Dribble

Take a minute with me to reflect on the incredible career of Dub Malaise.

Dub Malaise was a 5’11 guard from Odessa, TX and played for Tech from 1964-66. The achievements for Dub were plentiful during his playing career. One of those achievements was setting the record for most points in a game when he scored 50 points against Texas in 1966.

Along with the single game scoring record, Dub also holds the school record for most free throws in a season (191). He is second all-time in career free throws made (452), career points per game (20.3), and single-season points per game (23.7). He scored 1,420 points during his career at Tech which ranks him 19th all-time.

Malaise was a three-time selection for First Team All-Southwest Conference (SWC). He was also named SWC Player of the Year in 1965 along with being named to several All-American teams that year.

Dub was inducted into the the Texas Tech Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the SWC Hall of Fame in 2014. He is currently living in the McKinney area and he and his wife run a successful real estate agency.

Mounting injuries

The midway point of the season is barely a week past and the season ending injuries are starting to mount. Many of these injuries are to key players. We know about Texas Tech’s own, Zach Smith. Let’s take a look at some other key losses around college basketball.

• Jarrey Foster (SMU) - Foster, a 6’6 junior guard, injured his left knee early on in SMU’s upset win over Wichita State last Wednesday night. Many feared the worst when the injury happened and fears were confirmed on Monday when an MRI revealed a partially torn ACL injury. He was averaging 13 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season.
• Donte Grantham (Clemson) - Grantham, a 6’8 senior forward, also tore his ACL in the second half of last Saturday’s win against Notre Dame. “I’m disappointed that Donte’s career at Clemson had to end this way,” coach Brad Brownell said in a statement. “He was putting together a terrific season statistically, but he really helps this team in so many ways.” He was averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game this season for the Tigers.
• Martin Krampelj (Creighton) - Krampelj, a 6’9 sophomore forward, tore the ACL in his left knee in the first half of Creighton’s win over Seton Hall last Wednesday. “To have your season end on kind of a fluke injury, it really stinks for Martin,” head coach Greg McDermott said Thursday. “Obviously it impacts our team, but right now, our stomachs are upset, not because of what it does to our team but we feel bad for one of our family.” The injury is particularly upsetting for Krampelj as he tore the ACL in his right knee two years ago. He was averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

Billy Preston

In what is obviously an “injury” to matters of good judgment, the college career of Kansas star freshman Billy Preston is over before it ever started. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello is reporting that, “Kansas freshman Billy Preston, whose eligibility has been in question for months, has signed with BC Igokea, a European club located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

You might remember that Preston’s eligibility was being questioned because he was involved in a minor accident and the “financial picture” of the car he was driving was under investigation. Preston stated, ”Playing at the University of Kansas was a dream of mine, but being a professional has always been my long-term goal, [and] that day is finally here.” You just barely missed out on an opportunity to play with the Ball brothers in Lithuania Billy.

Lady Raiders

The schedule was not friendly to the Lady Raiders over the past week.

Last Saturday they dropped a home contest against No. 9 Texas 39-90. The game started off well for Tech but unraveled quickly as they were outscored by 38 points in the second and third quarters combined.

Brielle Blaire and Erin Degrate led the team in scoring with seven each. Degrate and Dayo Olabode were co-leaders in rebounds at four. The Lady Raiders struggled mightily from the field shooting only 27 percent.

On Wednesday, Tech lost a road game against No. 20 West Virginia 52-82. Degrate poured in 20 points to lead the team and Jada Terry pulled down a team leading eight rebounds. The team managed a very impressive 55 percent field goal percentage for the game.

Up next is a road contest in Stillwater against Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Lady Raiders are currently 7-13 overall and 1-8 in the Big 12.