Suggs: UW will be ‘fine'

Scott Suggs tried to remain positive and put a smile on his face. But the crutches under his arms and the walking boot on his right foot were lingering reminders that he won’t be stepping on the basketball court for the next two months.

The senior shooting guard met with the media for the first time since undergoing surgery on his foot to repair a stress fracture on his fifth metatarsal. Suggs had a screw inserted into the foot.

“It was about what they expected,” he said of the procedure done by team doctor Chris Wahl. “They expect to me to heal just fine. There were no complications with the surgery; everything went well.”

Suggs will be in the boot for the next two weeks and hopes to begin light running in five weeks. If all goes well, he might be ready to play when Washington heads to New York City to play Marquette and Duke at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6 and 10.

“That’s the goal right now,” he said. “We’ll see as we go.”

Such a goal never seemed like a possibility as Suggs prepared for his final season with the Huskies. But in the weeks leading up to the first practice, he felt some pain in his right foot. Thinking it was just a product of the increased running and workouts, Suggs tried to ignore it and rest it as best he could.

But last Tuesday – the day before official practice began – Suggs felt a pop at the end of an informal practice, felt significant pain and knew something was very wrong.

“Before, it was just sore,” he said.

A quick trip to the trainers revealed the stress fracture in his foot.

At first, the report seemed upbeat – maybe a three- or four-week absence – but when the severity of the injury dictated that surgery would likely be needed, with an eight-week recovery period, Suggs was crushed.

Not only would he miss two months of his senior year, but he would also be on the sideline when the team played in his hometown against Saint Louis University – a game set up specifically so he could play in front of his friends and family.

“I’m upset I have to miss that game,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to playing in front my family and friends for a while. It was disappointing to hear that. But there will be another opportunity to play again at home.”

For now, Suggs is just focusing on playing again this season, although the thought of watching from the sideline is something that won’t be pleasant. Suggs was going to split minutes with sophomores C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross and freshman Hikeem Stewart.

It was business as usual in the first few practices without Suggs on the floor.

“Our approach is the same,” UW coach Lorenzo Romar said. “Nothing changes there. We have one less guy to do it, who was an experienced guy and a very good basketball player. Nothing changes at all. It’s not like, say, you had a 6-11, 5-man (center) that was just a scoring machine and you were running everything through him offensively. It wasn’t the situation like that.”

Suggs is certain the Huskies will survive his absence.

“I think the team will be just fine without me,” he said. “We got some preseason games, and some younger guys will get some experience. Any time we had injuries in the past, everyone has stepped up.”

Suggs, too, plans to step up, even if he can’t step on the floor yet. He plans to be a vocal leader from the sidelines, offering encouragement, advice and observations.

“I have experience from just being here and can give guys advice,” he said. “We have some freshmen, so we are going to need older guys on and off the court showing guys how we do things and being prepared all the time.”

Perhaps the biggest adjustment will be life with crutches for the next week and a half.

“Oh my goodness, I didn’t think about that till today,” he said. “I went to class and my mom was going to pick me up. We got out, and I thought, ‘I will just crutch down to the gym.’ I was sweating hard, and my arms were burning.”

BOUNCE PASSES

Romar was asked to compare junior point guard Abdul Gaddy and freshman phenom Tony Wroten, and he used Husky football as a baseline.

“Tony and Abdul are like Jake Locker and Keith Price,” Romar said. “I’ve been thinking about this. With Jake, one play can make a highlight for the rest of the year. Keith is just more conservative, takes his time a little more. Not as spectacular but highly efficient. I would compare to him that way. Tony is Jake. He can make electrifying plays at time.”

The Huskies spent their three-day training camp at The Evergreen State College in Olympia conditioning and practicing. Romar had done some of the Midnight Madness open practices in the past, but he prefers seclusion for team-building purposes. He tried to go bowling for a little team-building fun but could not because of NCAA rules.

“The NCAA rule said we couldn’t pay for it if we go beyond 30 miles of our campus,” he said.

Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483 ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports