Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 15, 1993                   TAG: 9312150193
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SACRAMENTO, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Medium

HURLEY'S CONDITION IMPROVES

"We are very pleased about what we heard this morning," coach Garry St. Jean said. "Bob is doing better."

Doctors at the University of California-Davis Medical Center said Hurley remained in serious condition, a day after an eight-hour operation.

Still, Kings general manager Jerry Reynolds raised the possibility of Hurley returning to play next season, although Reynolds is not counting on that happening.

"What we really want from him is to get healthy and as normal as possible," Reynolds said. "If everything goes like it can maybe in a year from now [returning to play] would be a possibility."

In a brief statement, trauma surgeon F. William Blaisdell said: "The bruises on his lungs are healing and his lungs are clearing. He's getting rid of a lot of extra fluids."

Hurley, 22, was injured Sunday night when a station wagon slammed into his light truck near Arco Arena, throwing him into a drainage ditch. Besides damage to his lungs, the point guard has broken ribs, a small compression fracture in his back and knee and wrist injuries.

Police spokesman Michael Heenan said Tuesday that hospital blood samples taken from the other motorist, Dan Wieland, were sent to the Sacramento County crime lab to be checked for drugs.

"Information we developed after the accident gave us the probable cause we needed to go back and take a look at what his physical state was," Heenan said.

He said witnesses told police they saw Wieland "driving without headlights and driving . . . over toward the other lane. That firmed up on our part some of the suspicion that there could be drugs involved."

He said it could take weeks to get test results.

The Kings practiced for two hours Tuesday and closed the session to reporters. St. Jean said he tried to use the practice as a healing time.

"As a team we tried to today to let our emotions come out," he said. "I kind of stepped back a little bit during practice to let the guys just play out there a little bit and let a little bit out of their system.

"Maybe it wasn't a real physical or focused practice. It was not one of the best we've had all year. The key was that we got out there and worked together and understood that tomorrow there is a game and that's our job and we've got to come out ready to do our jobs tomorrow."

Rookie center Mike Peplowski, one of the first to arrive at the accident scene, said the practice helped him redirect his thoughts.

"For me it was just good to finally get out of the house and get my mind on something else," he said. "We have to go on. God willing, Bob is going to get better."

Keywords:
BASKETBALL