Joe Mazzulla has two games and 10 days to make a pretty important decision. Does he play this season or does he take a medical redshirt? By NCAA rules, which we’re becoming all too familiar with around here, he cannot play on or after the Jan. 10 game at Marquette and then decide to take a medical redshirt. 

The growth plate fracture he has is bad — seriously, it’s kept him on the bench — and it can get worse even if it gets better. The way things are going, he might not be able to test his shoulder before the deadline. Surgery is an option, but success rates are not great. It’s just going to take time to heal and Mazzulla is doing his part, going so far as to stay in town over the weekend to get treatments while teammates went home for their belated holiday.

To even guess what may happen, we must first consider a series of other questions for Mazzulla and the Mountaineers, who are doing remarkably well without their point guard, due in no small part to his backup, freshman Truck Bryant.

1: How valuable is Mazzulla?
Right now, the “Don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” thing isn’t entirely applicable, but he’s still valuable. Maybe the better way to ask this is “How high is Mazzulla’s value?” WVU can win on the road with eight or nine guys or with Truck playing big minutes and Will Thomas getting limited minutes — or none — right now, but fast-forward through Big East play and the story is different, yes?

2: Can Mazzulla do it? 
Seriously, can he allow himself to not play even if the benefit (health) is obvious? Can he look into the future this season and see a pretty good team with a pretty good chance to make some noise and allow himself not to be a part of it?

3: Can WVU do it?
That’s the big question. Might these guys just run out of gas in the Big East if Mazzulla sits it out? Is one sense, this decision is about Mazzulla’s future, but in another, it’s about the present. Does Mazzulla sitting out deprive WVU of a chance to reach its greatest goals?

4: How much does the future matter?
Sports and athletes are about the right now world. Again, WVU can be really good this season if Mazzulla can play at his level, but what if Mazzulla had two more seasons to play and grow with Truck, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones and complement and develop Dalton Pepper, Deniz Kilicli and Dan Jennings and whoever comes after them? Imagine Truck and Mazzulla starting together for two seasons. Remember, too, Mazzulla played sparingly as a true freshman and missed time with injury. He kind of gets that back with a redshirt now and a fifth-year senior point guard is usually a dynamic force for a team. Conversely, how strong is the bond between Mazzulla and classmates Da’Sean Butler and Wellington Smith and senior Alex Ruoff and how much does Mazzulla believe he owes it to them to be there for them with all they’ve been through together? Yeah, Mazzulla, Butler and Smith will be great together next season, but focused athletes do care about the right now world.

5: Is a redshirt permanent?
Suppose the decision is made to redshirt. WVU is … say, 5-5 in Big East play … and Mazzulla is healthy and practicing and ready to go. Does he? On the other hand, what if it’s 1-4 or 4-1? Will that change anything if it’s decided he will or won’t play this season? 

Bonus: How appreciated is Mazzulla?
A wild card question, but perhaps Mazzulla guts it out and … sacrifices? … another season because he feels the people need him and he doesn’t want to let them down. Or perhaps he sits it out because he senses people believe the team can go on without him. This may be nothing. It may be something.

Your bonus: What questions do you think factor into this?