Knee surgery keeps Cole from Prime Time League

NORTH LIBERTY -- Incoming Iowa senior Jarryd Cole watched the Prime Time League on Tuesday night in jeans and a T-shirt.

He lamented that he couldn't play and admitted he enjoys the Prime Time League. But after off-season knee surgery, Cole is more concerned about his health than his entertainment.

Cole, 21, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as a freshman. That cost him the entire Big Ten season that year and limited him as a sophomore. His knee problems lingered last year in his junior season.  He scheduled off-season surgery once the season ended in Indianapolis.

"It was just supposed to be a scope," said Cole about arthroscopic surgery. "The doc went in and found some things and did a little touching up, so he went ahead and did some more surgery.

"I've been out for a while now. I'm not in a hurry to get back, and I just want to be fully healed before I start doing things."

Cole's meniscus wasn't torn, but it wasn't fully healed after his knee injury. For several weeks he stayed off the knee and just now is starting to jog again and do some weight lifting.

Cole's college career has been just as chaotic with events beyond his control. In  2006, he originally signed a letter of intent to play for Steve Alford. When Alford left for New Mexico, Cole honored his commitment despite a wave of transfers and played three seasons for Todd Lickliter. This spring, Lickliter was fired and the school hired Fran McCaffery. Although he's excited to play for the new coach, Cole said he was disappointed with how Lickliter was dismissed.

"I guess you could say there was a feeling that it was going to happen," Cole said. "I wasn't a big fan of the situation. I like Lickliter ... it's just a tough deal. There's not much I could really say about it other than I didn't like it.

"(McCaffery) seems like a great guy, a great coach. I like what he wants to do here. He's going to have something real positive to bring to the table and build something that this program's been needing. I'm glad to be a part of it."

Cole started all 32 games last year for Iowa, averaging 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. He was honored as the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award nominee. He also is a two-time team captain.

Cole said he's proud to have stayed at Iowa amid the uncertainty. Two of the players brought in during his freshman year -- Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson -- bolted for Indiana State and Arkansas, respectively, following the 2009 season.

"I guess that's sort of like a moral victory for myself," Cole said. "I don't really worry about it too much. People make their own decisions. They know what they want to do and how they feel about certain things. I'm a man of my word. I'm going to stay and stick it out. I can say I did get an Iowa degree, and that's what's most important.

"Nobody said it's going to be easy. You're not guaranteed anything for sure. You've got to roll with the punches and take them as they come."