WATCH: Maryland player Pavlo Dziuba makes touching gesture amid war in Ukraine
Maryland Terrapins forward Pavlo Dziuba made his voice heard in the Terrapins’ 75-60 win over Maryland on Sunday.
Dziuba, a sophomore, may not be having much of an impact on the court this season; a junior (sophomore in terms of eligibility), Dziuba is in his second year at Maryland, after transferring from Arizona State. He is averaging just 0.4 points and 0.4 rebounds per contest, appearing in 4.6 minutes per game but only seeing playing time in seven games, but as a native of Ukraine, Dziuba was not going to be silent about the ongoing conflict in his home country.
Dziuba grew up in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and the site of Russia’s invasion, and he took the court for player introductions with a Ukranian flag draped around his waist. Furthermore, though most of Maryland’s players were wearing either red or white sneakers, Dziuba opted to wear yellow sneakers — one of the colors in Ukraine’s flag — and he wrote “no war” on the side of his sneakers.
Growing up in Ukraine, Dziuba did not receive a grade in the On3 Consensus, as several recruiting sites did not have him rated as a high school recruit. However, 247 Sports did give Dziuba a four-star rating, and he received several Division I offers, before eventually committing to Arizona State.
“Pavlo is our brother,” interim head coach Danny Manning said of Dziuba in the Baltimore Sun. “We love him and we care for him. We’re gonna support him. His family is in a tough situation like so many other people over in the Ukraine. All we can do is send our love, prayers and thoughts to his family and all the other people that are over there.”
Former Big Ten star stuck in Ukraine, posts concerning tweet
Former Indiana Hoosiers standout Maurice Creek found himself stuck in a tough situation, as the three-year Hoosiers letterman finds himself stuck in Ukraine, where he plays professional basketball.
Creek, 31, was stuck in Ukraine amidst his season and he tweeted a positive update on Saturday morning, as it appeared he may have been on his way out.
“Just want y’all to know I’m on my way out of Ukraine,” Creek wrote. “Thank you everyone for your help, prayers, everything. All of you mean a lot to me.”
However, Creek’s tone — and his plans in Ukraine — may have changed of late, as he took to Twitter again on Sunday, this time sharing a much scarier update. It appears that Creek might be stuck in Ukraine for a little while longer.
“NEVER FELT SO HOPELESS IN MY LIFE,” Creek said on Twitter Sunday.