SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASKETBALL
The Gamecocks can see the light at the end of the tunnel for injured Justin Minaya.
The sophomore forward, who’s been injured for the better part of two months, is nearing an end to his rehab and could be cleared to return to practice in the next week or so.
“Justin is starting to do some running on the court,” Frank Martin said. “I’m not big on giving numbers because a week from now you guys will say, ‘what’s the deal? You’re not being honest with the injuries.’ I think sometime early next week he should practice. That’s just my gut. That’s not a doctor, that’s not a trainer. That’s just my gut watching where he’s at right now.”
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Martin mentioned his timetable wasn’t an exact science and going off what he thought based on watching Minaya’s rehab since the wing went out at the end of November with a knee injury in practice.
He’s missed the last 12 games and just started traveling with the team again, making the trip last weekend to LSU.
It all comes down to a strength test on his quads and once that gets up to at least 85 percent the strength of his other quad, he’ll be able to practice with the team again.
Then, after that, he’ll have an acclimization process to see the effect practice has on his knee and then he’ll decide if he wants to play again this year or take a redshirt.
“Like we’ve said, he’ll go through three or four practices and see how he feels and how that knee responds,” Martin said. “If everything’s a thumbs up, it’s a decision he and his family have to make.”
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Minaya can’t play anymore this season without burning his redshirt year, and that’s a decision that he’ll make once he’s fully cleared to play in a game.
Martin’s been up front with Minaya and his parents and the two have talked about exploring every option before Minaya had surgery at the beginning of December.
The Gamecocks have 13 more SEC games to play, including six games against teams in the top half of the conference. The Gamecocks are currently 4-1 in the SEC, something that could factor into Minaya’s decision, and host Auburn at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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Before getting injured Minaya was a key piece of the team’s starting lineup averaging 25.6 minutes, 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games.
As a freshman Minaya played in all but one game—he missed a home loss to Mississippi State with an injury—and started all but one game he played in while averaging 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds in 26.9 minutes.
