Butler's Clarke back in gym after injury

• Senior guard%27s return for No. 17 Bulldogs uncertain after significant neck sprain
• Clarke was hurt in win at Dayton after hard foul sent him into basket support
• Says father Conley Clarke%3A %22He heals like a freak. I mean%2C it%27s amazing.%22

INDIANAPOLIS — Rotnei Clarke found refuge Sunday in the familiar. He was back in the gym shooting.

The Butler basketball player, who sprained his neck in a scary incident during the first half of Saturday's 79-73 victory at Dayton, has no timetable for a return to action.

His father, Conley, didn't have a medical opinion to deliver. But he knows his son.

"If they're thinking about not letting him play Saturday," the father said, "they're going to have to take him to another county."

The 17th-ranked Bulldogs (14-2) will play No. 8 Gonzaga (16-1) at 9 p.m. ET Saturday in a rare Hinkle Fieldhouse meeting of Top 15 teams.

That will be preceded by ESPN's first College GameDay show of the season (10 a.m.) and first-ever visit to Butler's 85-year-old fieldhouse.

Conley Clarke said his son, one of the nation's top three-point shooters, would abide by all medical advice. Rotnei leads Butler with a 16.2 scoring average and has made 59 threes this season.

Coach Brad Stevens said Rotnei would not play until "he's 100% ready and cleared." The coach added that it would probably be before February. Butler has an Atlantic 10 home game Wednesday against Richmond.

Multiple exams — CT scan, X-rays, MRI — have come back without showing damage to Clarke. Head athletic crainer Ryan Galloy said the MRI confirmed a significant neck sprain.

"His spinal cord and cervical discs were viewed normal," Galloy said. "Right now, he's sore and stiff, but he's out of the collar. The next question is when he can resume contact."

Clarke was injured at Dayton after he stole the ball and was dribbling to the basket in an attempt to score. He was fouled from behind by the Flyers' Matt Derenbecker and plunged headfirst into the padded basket support.

Clarke remained on the floor for eight minutes before being removed by stretcher and transported to nearby Miami Valley Hospital. He was released in time to board Butler's team bus for the drive back to Indianapolis.

"It was the worst eight minutes of my career," Stevens said.

Clarke's parents, Conley and Chris, were seated in the front row of UD Arena when they saw their son go down. Conley said he could see his son's eyes roll back in his head. The family thought Rotnei would be OK because he was moving his limbs.

"Dad, that wasn't because I wanted to," Rotnei told them.

"That kind of freaked me out," Conley said.

Rotnei told his parents that when he lost voluntary movement, all he could think about was the Rutgers football player, Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed after a collision in October 2010.

Before following his son to the hospital, the father was asked about the score of the game. Conley told Rotnei that the Bulldogs were ahead.

"He was all happy then," Conley said.

The father said the family felt the prayers of people in Indiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Rotnei played in high school at Verdigris, Okla., and three seasons at the University of Arkansas before transferring to Butler.

Conley Clarke said his son told him he has "a greater outlook on life now." Rotnei often posts about Christian themes on his Twitter account.

"A lot of people care about him," Stevens said. "A lot of people were praying. He's a lucky guy in a lot of respects."

Conley Clarke said his son has always recovered quickly from physical setbacks.

"He heals like a freak," the father said. "I mean, it's amazing."

David Woods also writes for The Indianapolis Star.