Injuries Threaten to Stunt Learning Process
Looks like things aren't getting any easier for the Utes on the injury front.
Not only does guard Curtis Eatmon continue to sit out practice with a groin injury, but now fellow guard Carlon Brown and forward Sayre Brennan have been sidelined with ankle injuries. Brown suffered his injury on Sunday and has been wearing a walking boot, while Brennan was hurt near the end of practice today.
Coach Jim Boylen doesn't believe any of the injuries are especially serious -- forward Stephen Weigh has been playing with a rib injury, too -- but they are problematic for a couple of reasons. The Utes might be forced to practice with only 11 players the next couple of days, for one thing, and the injuries are coming at time when the Utes are still installing their offense and doing the most teaching of their new system.
"When you miss this time of the year -- foundation, conditioning, the system, teaching it like we're doing -- it's just hard to get that back," Boylen said. "When you start playing games, you don't have that time. That's why it bothers me. ... You miss five days this time of year? That's like missing 15 in January or February."
On the bright side, Boylen is hopeful that Eatmon and Brown, at least, can return to practice by Friday. And forward Shaun Green has returned to practice after missing a couple of days with a strained muscle in his leg, and has enjoyed "his best three days of practice" so far.
Not only does guard Curtis Eatmon continue to sit out practice with a groin injury, but now fellow guard Carlon Brown and forward Sayre Brennan have been sidelined with ankle injuries. Brown suffered his injury on Sunday and has been wearing a walking boot, while Brennan was hurt near the end of practice today.
Coach Jim Boylen doesn't believe any of the injuries are especially serious -- forward Stephen Weigh has been playing with a rib injury, too -- but they are problematic for a couple of reasons. The Utes might be forced to practice with only 11 players the next couple of days, for one thing, and the injuries are coming at time when the Utes are still installing their offense and doing the most teaching of their new system.
"When you miss this time of the year -- foundation, conditioning, the system, teaching it like we're doing -- it's just hard to get that back," Boylen said. "When you start playing games, you don't have that time. That's why it bothers me. ... You miss five days this time of year? That's like missing 15 in January or February."
On the bright side, Boylen is hopeful that Eatmon and Brown, at least, can return to practice by Friday. And forward Shaun Green has returned to practice after missing a couple of days with a strained muscle in his leg, and has enjoyed "his best three days of practice" so far.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 6:13 PM |
2 Comments:
I wonder. In your years of reporting have you ever been able to connect injuries with a lack of condition or stretching? Or do injuries just happen. to what extent does condition/stretching play a role?
Hi Gardner ...
Thanks for the question, and in my experience, I wouldn't say I could conclusively connect one with the other -- although most coaches, trainers and docs agree that attempting to work too hard for your fitness level, in any sport, can lead to injuries. Even very fit athletes can suffer overuse injuries, if they do too much and don't give themselves enough time to rest and heal. That said, however, injuries can also occur for any variety of other reasons -- the wet spot on the floor that causes a foot to slip, the randomly turned ankle, the freak collision. And while stretching is generally considered vital to improving flexibility and, in turn, helping avoid injuries, there remains some debate in some circles (and sports) over just how significant a role stretching plays in injury prevention. And from what I've seen over the years, coaches can have players who get hurt because they're out of shape and don't work their way into it properly, or just because of some bad luck. It all just depends on so many factors, it seems to me. Hope that helps!
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