Stephen Teodosescu
steodosescu@mustangdaily.net
Maliik Love, the potential starter at point guard for the Cal Poly men’s basketball team suffered a major setback to his chances of seeing the court this upcoming season.
The junior guard underwent surgery on his left foot Thursday, after suffering a broken fifth metatarsal bone in a mid-September workout. The unofficial practice was only one hour in length, but the damage was done when Love fell awkwardly on a rebound attempt of his own layup, he said.
“I came down on it sideways,” Love said. “I knew I had done something to my foot and I tried to run it off a little bit, but I had to go straight to the training room.”
While head coach Joe Callero said Love’s chances at making it back in time for the start of the season are bleak, the 19-year old San Diego native is staying positive and focusing on getting back on the floor 100 percent healthy.
“Definitely with this injury (the key) is not trying to rush it, because I know a couple of players that had a similar injury, and they came back early and just made it worse,” Love said.
The coaches agreed with Love in deciding not to rush him back to health.
“We’ve tried to keep an open mind about (Love’s injury),” Callero said. “We kind of started off with a 50-50 chance whether he comes back. He would not even be stepping on the court for eight weeks (from the surgery) … That’s two months we lose him for right there.”
Either way, the coaching staff knows that a premature recovery could ultimately jeopardize his production on the court for years to come.
“One of the worst things you can do with this type of injury is you could try to push it too quickly and you end up having further damage,” Callero said.
Ultimately, the Mustangs will have to settle for one less player — at least until Big West Conference play begins in January. Love will likely be out until after Christmas, and he admits even then he will be cautious about making a comeback.
Love still has the option of redshirting the upcoming season, as he is only in his third year of eligibility. Callero said sitting out his potential starter might not be such a bad alternative considering Love’s unique combination of youth and experience on the floor.
“The silver lining is that Maliik is really young for college basketball period,” Callero said. “If there is a plus on this, it’s that he’ll get a redshirt year, a development year to get his experience level up there.”
The coaches won’t make a final decision on Love’s eligibility status until they determine how far he progresses come conference play. Other factors, such as potential injuries to other guards or an aggressive rate of rehabilitation may put Love back on the court for January basketball, according to Callero.
The fourth-year head coach is no stranger to preseason injuries, as he’s seen key players go down before the start of the season on multiple occasions.
Last year, senior shooting guard Chris O’Brien tore his anterior cruciate ligament in preseason practice and was forced to sit out the year.
In 2010, point guard Amaurys Fermin suffered the same fate and watched from the sidelines before making an impact last season.
Based on his misfortunes, Callero decided to seek answers as to why his program was running in to so many season-ending injuries. He consulted athletic trainers from Stanford and even NBA coaches during the summer to see what sort of changes could be made.
“The feedback I got was ‘You’re not special,’” Callero said. “First and foremost, the athletes are just bigger, faster, stronger than they were before.”
Love’s injury has given other guards a chance to step into the spotlight, Callero added. Junior Jamal Johnson has proved his worth as Love’s replacement with a strong showing in summer practices.
“I’ll take a little more of a leadership role on the court,” Johnson said of Love’s injury. “Maliik was a good point guard. He was very strong and I think losing that is gonna sting a little.”
But, unlike last year, when Fermin was almost exclusively prescribed the point guard duties, this season will feature several athletic guards rotating at the position.
Junior Kyle Odister figures to play behind Johnson, and O’Brien, a natural small forward, can also handle the ball, Callero said. Senior Drake U’u, who broke his hand in a late-season conference game last year, will also be back and competing for playing time.
“I think the kind of offense we’ve set up this year is a little more free-flowing,” Johnson said. “The responsibility will still be mine (at point guard), but I think the ball will definitely be in different players’ hands throughout the course of a game.”
Due to Love’s absence, a player who was the Big West Conference Co-Freshman of the Year in 2010-11, the team held open tryouts yesterday to increase the depth on the roster. One player, sophomore forward Anthony Silvestri, has already walked on.
The 6-foot-7 Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep standout made his splash throughout the summer months and agreed to join the Mustangs for the upcoming campaign.
But until the season gets into full swing, the effect that Love and the six graduated seniors’ absences will have on the team still remains to be seen for Callero.
The Mustangs open up the season on Nov. 9 with an away game at TCU.