Purdue's Sasha Stefanovic 'Feeling Good,' Out of Isolation After Getting COVID-19
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue guard Sasha Stefanovic got out of isolation on Friday after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. Purdue coach Matt Painter said "he's feeling good. I texted with him last night, and I know he's eager to get back and get going.''
Stefanovic, the Big Ten's leading three-point shooter by percentage (45.6), can start having contact with teammates and coaches again on Saturday, but he'll still miss two more games per the league's COVID-19 protocols. He will miss Saturday night's game with Minnesota at Mackey Arena and Tuesday's game at Maryland, but would be eligible for the Feb. 6 game against Northwestern, provided he's feeling good enough to go by then.
"He got out (of isolation) today,'' Painter said on Friday. "We can see him tomorrow and actually have physical contact see him face to face and he can start weaning his way back after he gets all his tests done.
"The schedule is the same. He will miss this game against Minnesota and the game against Maryland, and hopefully he can play in the Northwestern game.
Teammate Eric Hunter Jr. said his running mate is doing well, and he's missed having him around.
"I actually FaceTimed with him a day or two ago. He's in good spirits,'' Hunter said. "He's a guy that's always in good spirits. I asked him a bunch of questions about how he was feeling.
"He said he's feeling a lot better than he did initially, and that's the best you can hope for with something like this.''
Stefanovic, a junior from Crown Point, Ind., is Purdue's best perimeter threat. He was sorely missed last Friday, when Purdue struggled to get going offensively against Big Ten leader Michigan, and lost 70-53 at home.
Painter said a week of practice without Stefanovic simply means that life goes on. He's talked with his players about Stefanovic brings to the equation, and what the Boilermakers need in his absence.
"It's just that he's not out there,'' Painter said. "I talked to our team about he steady he was. And that's what we need. A lot of people talk like 'you need to step up.' No, you don't need to step up, you just need to execute, know what's going and play hard.
"I think when you do those things and stay within yourself, good things are going to happen,''
Stefanovic is averaging 11.1 points per game thus far, second on the team to Trevion Williams.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.