Senior Mack redshirts

It was just a friendly soccer pickup game. \nOn a warm summer night senior midfielder, then National Player of the Year candidate, Ryan Mack was on staff at IU's annual summer camp for high school soccer players.\nHe got the ball down and was looking to hit that final shot before he called it a night. He went for the goal and accidentally collided with a 17-year-old camper.\n"This one kid just hit my plant leg," Mack said. "It hurt right away and I thought I might have broke my leg. Then I got up and it was fine and I could jog around. That night everything was fine and I thought it was just sore."\nThe next day, Mack went into the trainer. There he found his anterior cruciate ligament was torn and would be out four to five months.\nLast week, Mack made the decision to redshirt this season. He hopes to come back healthy and play for the entire 2002 season, a decision head coach Jerry Yeagley endorses.\n"It's not in his best interest for the future (to play this season,)" Yeagley said. "He has a lot of potential beyond this year."\n"If I left for the (MLS) draft this February then I'd be 21 credits away from graduating," Mack said. "Now, since I'm staying, I'll only need 12 credits the next two semesters to graduate. Then I'll leave (for the draft) next February and I'll be done and graduated with a degree. I think the degree is the most important thing."\nMack hasn't been able to play in any full-contact scrimmages with the team. Yeagley explained that when dealing with an injury such as Mack's, the rehabilitation has more than one facet. \n"With an (injured ACL) he might be ready physically, but there's a mental aspect as well," Yeagley said. "Mack is a fast healer but players also need to play through the fear of hurting their ACL again."\nMack said there is a mental barrier he'll need to play through.\n"If I don't think about (the injury), I can almost play right now," Mack said. "When I'm playing out there now, just messing around even with not getting hit, I'm always worried about messing up anything. When I start playing (in scrimmages), I'm gonna have to get over that and I think after about five or six months I'll be pretty solid about getting over that."\nJunior forward Pat Noonan said he is anxious to play with Mack again next season.\n"I love playing with (Mack)," Noonan said. "He's a great player. He's fun to play with and it's in the back of my mind that he'll be back next year"