Stemler stellar in IU blowout victory

Lance Stemler must be seeing straight again. \nHit with a concussion during practice more than a week ago, the junior forward missed IU's 54-51 loss to Duke University last Tuesday. Instead of trying to figure out Cameron Indoor Stadium with his teammates, Stemler was stuck trying to solve memory-based puzzles, hoping to prove to team doctors he was ready to step back onto the court. \nHe made his case before IU's 74-57 win over the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Saturday, but played just 12 minutes -- below his season average of 33.5 -- in the win. \nIn the first half Wednesday night, Stemler had all the post-concussion proof he needed. \nBack in the starting lineup, the IU forward scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers on four attempts in the first half, to lead IU in a 92-40 blowout of Western Illinois University. \nStemler played 20 minutes, considerably more time on the floor than he got against Charlotte, when he said that, even though the game was almost a week after his concussion, his legs were still wobbly and weak. \n"The first few minutes I was out there (against Charlotte) I felt good," Stemler said Tuesday. "But my legs were a little wobbly there just for the first few minutes just because I hadn't really ... I had done some running, but I was really limited on what I could do."\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said Stemler, despite the stronger effort Wednesday night, is still dealing with the side effects of his head injury.\nAs senior guard Errek Suhr drove to the hoop in the second half and earned what looked like a three-point play, Sampson called a timeout that waved off the bucket and momentarily confused the IU fans in Assembly Hall. \n"Lance -- I get concerned with his head," Sampson said. "The reason I called a timeout was him. He got elbowed in the jaw and he said, 'Coach, take me out.' That was a reaction to Lance." \nIf he can continue to recover from the concussion, Stemler's reentry into the IU rotation could help add another forward to Sampson's squad. \nSophomore center Ben Allen has struggled to hold a steady spot in the rotation due to foul trouble, and junior forward Mike White is still adjusting to Division I basketball after transferring from junior college prior to this season. Both are improving, Sampson said, but are still developing. \nStemler, on the other hand, has shown he can stretch the floor with his shooting and defend opposing post players. Sampson has praised the forward for his "high basketball IQ" and the way he has easily adjusted to his new coach's new system.\nFor now, Sampson is glad to have another member of his rotation back. \n"I'm not used to playing 10 guys," Sampson said. "But there are not a lot of guys that stand out. So it's a matter of who plays and who isn't going to play -- we say, let's play them all.\n"It doesn't matter who starts and who doesn't on this team," he said. "It really doesn't. On some teams, it might. But not on this team"