Upon further examination
Feb. 26, 2009 8:44 a.m.
A few years ago, it seemed like the Wisconsin Badgers couldn't shake the injury bug when it came to broken feet.
This year, it's been the Marquette Golden Eagles' turn to be bitten.
Three players in all this season have suffered a broken bone in their foot, the latest, of course, being Dominic James, whose memorable four-year run at MU ended last night in the loss to the Connecticut Huskies.
James suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot, apparently on a drive in the opening minutes of the game, an injury that will require surgery to place a pin or screw in order to help speed the healing. It's a common injury in basketball players (usually being suffered by taller players), but one that will need roughly three months' rehabilitation time, meaning any dreams James had of being picked in the NBA draft in June have all but evaporated.
That's not to say he won't be able to latch onto a summer-league team; plans are for James to have his surgery perhaps as early as Friday. That would keep him out of any individual workouts leading up to the draft, but by early to mid-July, when the NBA plays its summer league, James should be good to go (assuming no unforeseen complications).
Many prominent players have suffered the injury and returned to play at a high level, so James' overall future isn't in doubt. But the timing couldn't be worse, either for him or the Golden Eagles, who had come to rely heavily on his improved play as a point guard as well as his tenacious on-ball defense.
It was the first significant injury suffered during James' four years at MU.
He battled cramping problems during his first two seasons, but the team's medical staff seemed to get that under control last year. James wound up starting 127 of the MU-record 128 games he played, proving to be as tough and durable as any player in the program.
Redshirt sophomore center Liam McMorrow was the first MU player to succumb to a broken foot this season, in mid-October.
The injury was initially diagnosed as a stress reaction to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, leaving the 7-footer to spend most of his days immediately after in a protective boot in an attempt to keep it from becoming any worse.
Eventually it became a stress fracture, however, and McMorrow had to undergo surgery to correct it roughly a month later. He's now back and showing no ill effects from it, but lost a valuable three months of development in the process -- time that would have been crucial as McMorrow continues to try and make the jump from one year of organized basketball in Canada to the Big East.
Then literally just days after learning McMorrow would have to undergo surgery, 6-10 freshman center Chris Otule suffered a broken left foot after he was stepped on by another player at practice.
Otule's injury was different from James' and McMorrow's in that it occurred to one of the bones toward the middle of his foot. It didn't require surgery, though, just time spent in a protective boot, and Otule returned to action on Dec. 19 after having missed 10 games.
Going back further, Wesley Matthews missed eight games in his freshman season with a stress fracture in his right foot, but he, like Otule, never required surgery. Mike Kinsella, meanwhile, suffered multiple foot fractures during his three years at MU.
Looking ahead, two members of the Golden Eagles' incoming 2009-'10 recruiting class have also battled foot injuries in the past.
Point guard Junior Cadougan and forward Erik Williams both missed significant portions of their junior seasons in high school with foot fractures. Cadougan's didn't require surgery, but Williams' did.
Said MU coach Buzz Williams on Nov. 12 regarding Erik Williams' injury:
"We've probably spent more time over the last 90 days talking about Erik's foot and exactly what we needed to do than about his commitment and what we were doing in practice and individual workouts, just because we wanted to make sure that we had the absolute best care (for him).
"They've done a great job, and so far everything's fine, and I anticipate everything to be fine. He's got a pin in it, so he's not going to break it again."
From all accounts, both Cadougan and Williams have fared well thus far this season, and have suffered no lingering ill effects from their foot injuries.
Throw in the stress reaction that sophomore forward Joe Fulce suffered in early November -- an injury that, like Otule's, has rendered him a non-factor this season, because neither could sufficiently catch up due to all the practice time they missed recovering -- and the overall injury picture becomes even bleaker.
For an MU team that entered the season with just 11 eligible scholarship players to begin with, it's been a tough deal from the very start.
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