Cress

EDINBORO - Steve Cress was expecting a challenge during his freshman season at Edinboro University, but he wasn't counting on an injury being in the cards.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Mars High graduate was in the middle of a solid freshman campaign as a forward on the Fighting Scots basketball team when a left ankle injury hampered his performance for the remaining 13 games of the season.

He ended the year averaging 3.2 points and 1.5 rebounds while playing 8.3 minutes per game.

His season high of 16 points came in a win over Penn State-Greater Allegheny in late November.

"Steve was making very good progress until he got hurt," said Edinboro coach Greg Walcavich. "The injury really stymied him after that."

Cress injured his ankle during a practice in January, right before the team's third PSAC West contest of the season against Mercyhurst.

"I jumped for a rebound and turned it pretty bad," Cress said. "I missed two games right after that, then came back for the rest of the season. But I couldn't cut on it and it was pretty frustrating. It really limited what I was able to do."

An MRI following the season revealed a torn tendon that didn't require surgery, but Cress recently was fitted with a boot cast that he must wear until mid-May.

Despite the injury, Cress, who won the Butler Eagle Boys Player of the Year Award his junior and senior seasons at Mars, did gain valuable experience when he was healthy.

"I was expecting the speed of the game to be so much faster than it was in high school," he said. "But it wasn't as big a difference as I thought it would be. The biggest thing is I went from playing against teenagers to playing against grown men, and they're a lot stronger.

"I was adjusting to that before the injury."

The Scots went 18-10 overall and placed fourth in the PSAC West standings behind Gannon, Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.).

Cress already has his sights set on the 2009-10 campaign, one he hopes yields more minutes on the court and no injuries.

"Hopefully, the ankle will heal up and I'll be able to work hard in the offseason," he said. "We're losing four or five seniors this spring, so I should have the chance to see a lot of playing time, if not start."

"Steve's got good size for his position and good athletic ability," said Walcavich. "It's just a matter of him staying healthy to allow him to continue to develop.

"If that happens, he will have the chance to compete for a starting spot.