STrib: Nate Mason hasn't returned to full workouts since NCAA tournament injury

BleedGopher

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per Marcus:

Injuries likely kept the Gophers from making an NCAA tournament run this year. They were one of the hottest teams in college basketball at the end of the regular season, but they weren't at full strength in the postseason.

Gophers coach Richard Pitino said last week that leading scorer Nate Mason still hasn’t participated in full workouts since the season-ending 81-72 NCAA first-round loss March 16 to Middle Tennessee in Milwaukee. Mason, who scored just five points on 2-for-10 shooting that game, tried to play through a hip injury suffered in the second half.

“It was a lot worse injury than even I thought it was,” Pitino told the Star Tribune. “He really toughed it out.”

The All-Big Ten first-team junior guard tweeted last week that he just got “cleared for full go.” But the Gophers don’t have workouts right now with finals.

“You know it’s amazing; he still has not played,” Pitino said last week. “You think about the game. You’ve got to give Middle Tennessee credit but we lose two of our backcourt players (also senior guard Akeem Springs to torn Achilles tendon). Nate was not 100 percent. He toughed it out, but he still has not been able to be cleared to do individuals. Obviously, Akeem gets hurt. You don’t want to use excuses, but we got hit with injuries at the wrong time.”

Pitino said Mason has been doing some standstill shooting drills recently, but there was no reason to rush him into full workouts with the players concentrating on finishing the semester strong in the classroom.

Junior forward Davonte Fitzgerald missed the season with the second major knee injury of his career. But Pitino said he should be fully cleared next month. Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-8 former transfer from Texas A&M, could be a key player off the bench next season.

“I would anticipate probably the middle to end of June,” Pitino said. “We want to slowly bring him along. We’ve done some drills. I know he’s doing great from a rehab standpoint, but we’ll take it slow for him as well. But he looks really, really good.”

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...l-recovery-after-ncaa-tourney-loss/421457653/

Go Gophers!!
 

Encouraging news regarding Fitzgerald. I'm hoping he can be a major contributor this season. Even if it's for 14-18 minutes per game.
 

I heard on KFAN last night that he was just cleared.
 




If Fitz does end up getting fully cleared by the middle to end up June than he would have 4-5 full months before our first game for him to regain is confidence back and get full workouts in and 5 and a half to 7 full months before our first Big Ten game. Really excited to see him play.
 

Does anybody know when Mbakwe became fully cleared after his ACL tear and how long he had before the season started? He certainly needed the beginning part of the season to get up to full speed and regain his confidence before going into the Big Ten season.
 

Timeline

Does anybody know when Mbakwe became fully cleared after his ACL tear and how long he had before the season started? He certainly needed the beginning part of the season to get up to full speed and regain his confidence before going into the Big Ten season.

He tore his ACL the end of November 2011
He got his 6th year of eligibility around March 23, 2012
He was cleared to play around October 1, 2012

http://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/trevor-mbakwe-set-to-come-off-bench-for-minnesota/
 

I wouldn't worry about Mason. Better for him to wait to fully heal than to push it.
 






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