Indiana forward Collin Hartman had only highlight last season, although it was a good one.
It was when he proposed to his girlfriend on senior night in front of the Assembly Hall crowd.
That moment salvaged a senior season that scrapped in September when he went down with a non-contact knee injury in practice. He underwent surgery at the end of that month, and over the weekend, he was cleared for full-contact drills, according to Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.
He will be brought back slowly, as he’ll be one of the key pieces of the IU defense and a leader in the locker room as a fifth-year senior this season.
Rising junior forward Juwan Morgan described Hartman’s absence last season to reporters on Tuesday, per the Indy Star: “That annoying guy that you always hated hearing, but you knew he was right. “That’s what we always missed last year.”
During the 2015-16 season, the 6-foot-7 Hartman started 24 of 35 games for the Hoosiers, averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds for a team that eventually reached the Sweet 16.
Indiana finished with an 18-16 (7-11 Big Ten) record this past season. Archie Miller replaced Tom Crean as head coach in late March.