The unthinkable has happened again.
For the second straight season, a reigning Horizon League Player of the Year at Cleveland State has been lost to a knee injury, as the school announced on Tuesday that starting point guard Colbi Maples will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 schedule.
Last year, of course, it was Destiny Leo. The Willowick, OH native tore her right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a Viking Invitational game against Kansas City on November 25, 2023. She eventually made a full recovery and has resumed her multi-pronged attack on the CSU record book over the last month, including a newly-earned place atop the program’s list of players who have made the most three-pointers.
Three hundred and fifty-four days after that dark afternoon in Woodling Gymnasium, Maples went down late in the third quarter of the Vikings’ victory over Bowling Green on November 12th. The injury occurred during one of her trademark drives to the basket, as her knee gave out near the low block while she attempted to plant for a layup attempt. Though the initial scene instantly muted the Wolstein Center, Maples was able to get to her feet relatively quickly, and head coach Chris Kielsmeier even said that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the situation after the game.
However, as her conspicuous absence from the court stretched from days to weeks, it became obvious that the injury was much more serious than that initial read.
Maples underwent successful surgery last week and has begun the rehabilitation process. As with Leo, her departure happened early enough in the season that she will be able to file for a medical hardship waiver and re-gain what would have been her final year of eligibility.
After arriving as a transfer from Grambling during the summer of 2023, Maples instantly became a fixture in the Vikings’ backcourt, primarily alongside Mickayla Perdue. The duo led Cleveland State to the Horizon League’s regular season title last year, with each starting guard collecting major individual awards from the conference. Maples’ HL Player of the Year case included 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game; each of those numbers ranked among the top five players in the circuit. Though she ultimately only appeared in three games this season, Maples was instrumental to the comeback win against BG, scoring nine points – including the go-ahead bucket – before the injury.