2012-13 Player Preview: #42 Chris Otule

Chris Otule returns this season after rehabbing from a season ending injury.

I know how tired of reading or thinking that I am. I can't even imagine how sick of it that Otule is. After a third season at Marquette where he stayed completely healthy for the entire season and turned in one of the best defensive seasons in terms of blocked shots in MU history, and Marquette went to the Sweet 16, CO blew out his knee in MU's eighth game of the season last year. After some brief uncertainty about whether or not he would return, Otule was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the season and missed Marquette's second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.

But he's healthy again. It can't be terribly surprising that a guy who's been missing an eye since birth has a ridiculous amount of perseverance and determination, so we start a new season with Otule penciled in as the starting center.

Minimum Expectation: Play in every game. I really don't care about anything else. Just stay healthy and contribute night in and night out.

In My Wildest Dreams: Otule is completely unafraid to do anything on the court, returns to his dominant defensive self, throws up another 60 blocks, and has anything resembling a strong offensive presence. Given Otule's injury history, I don't think anyone's really expecting a ton of scoring from him, especially when that's what Davante Gardner can do for the team in the post.

Worst Nightmare: Otule decides that it's not worth the effort and energy to come back for a sixth season, which he appears to already have approved by the NCAA if he wants it. I don't actually care what his reason would be, whether another injury or just general fatigue about the grind needed to get him through a season, or I don't know what else. The guy deserves a chance to play at least three full seasons.