Elston Expects to be Cleared Today

Bloomington – Derek Elston is expecting some good news today.

The IU commit from Tipton, Ind., is scheduled to meet with doctors today and should be fully cleared to return to basketball court. The 6-8, 215-pounder was given clearance two weeks ago to begin practicing on his own, but he’s expecting to receive a completely clean bill of health today.

“The last time I was in there, they just took my knee and bent it to some weird positions that I never bend my knee and asked me if it hurt at all, and I said no,” Elston said. “So it seemed then I was pretty close.”

Elston injured his left knee in May at an AAU event in Ft. Wayne. Elston originally feared he had torn a knee ligament, but was relieved to find out he had instead torn some meniscus in the knee. He had surgery the following week and has been sidelined since.

At that point doctors told him he could “play against air,” meaning he wasn’t allowed to scrimmage or play against anyone one-on-one. He’s taken advantage of that to get back on the floor, but he’s extremely excited about being able to rejoin his high school teammates and begin preparing for a very promising 2008-09 campaign.

“It’s going to be the best feeling I’ve ever had,” Elston said about getting cleared. “I’ve been waiting so long to play, and Tuesday should be the day that I get my shot.”

The 90th-ranked player in the nation according to Scout.com, Elston averaged 19.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a junior.

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