Life without Nic Combs
By Ray Martin
rmartin@oklahoman.com
Edmond Santa Fe guard and leading scorer Nic Combs (17.8 ppg) will miss tonight’s game against Mustang, and likely Friday night’s matchup with Edmond North after spending most of Monday in an Oklahoma City hospital.
According to Combs’ father, William Combs, the senior became ill after No. 3 Santa Fe beat Norman last Friday in the McGuinness tournament. He was lethargic, and ultimately ineffective (scoring only four points) in Santa Fe’s final round loss to McGuinness Saturday night.
Combs was taken to the Mercy Hospital emergency room Monday morning and did not leave until midnight. Doctors said Combs experienced severe dehydration, and likely became ill because of parasites or food poisoning.
I wish Combs a quick recovery, and I’m sure his teammates do as well.
So how will Santa Fe manage without its star? For all practical purposes, we saw how it played without Combs Saturday against McGuinness. Not to negate McGuinness’s win, but a healthy Combs would have changed the entire tone of that game. I think Santa Fe can survive against Mustang and Edmond North, but if Combs decides to wait until next Thursday to return (when Santa Fe plays in the Jenks tournament), expect a loss to No. 4 Putnam North next Tuesday.
Santa Fe won at PC North earlier this season. PC North wants revenge, and they would love to try to get it without having to worry about containing Combs.
UPDATE: Well, I was wrong about Santa Fe surviving without Combs until next Tuesday. The wolves lost to Mustang tonight, 50-46. Santa Fe coach Shawn Schenk, though, said the absence of Combs is not to blame for tonight’s loss.
“We didn’t block out and gave up a ton of offensive rebounds. We didn’t guard anybody, didn’t get to the free throw line,” said Schenk, who made his team run through an additional practice after the game. “They played harder than us, and they deserved to win.”
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