The much-anticipated college basketball career of former Juneau-Douglas High School star Carlos Boozer Jr. may be delayed a bit after Boozer broke his left foot last week.
Boozer, who graduated from Juneau last spring, will undergo surgery today to repair a broken fifth metatarsal bone in his foot, Duke University men's basketball team trainer Dave Engelhardt announced Monday. A screw will be inserted into Boozer's foot, and Boozer will be sidelined for eight to 12 weeks while the foot heals.
Boozer was playing in a pickup basketball game Thursday at Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium, when he "made an offensive spin move with no contact," according to the Duke athletic department's Website, www.GoDuke.com.
The injury is commonly referred to as a Jones Fracture, and it is the exact same injury that sidelined former Duke center Elton Brand for several weeks two years ago. Mike Cragg, Duke's sports information director, said team doctors had to wait for the swelling to go down before scheduling Boozer's surgery.
"He's doing OK, those things happen," said Carlos Boozer Sr., the father of the younger Boozer. "It was his little toe. He did a spin move, and his foot didn't come with it. It's basically a hairline fracture."
Boozer, who will be a freshman 6-foot-9 center-forward for the Blue Devils, could not be reached for comment. Boozer scored 27.7 points, grabbed 11.9 rebounds, blocked three shots, made two steals and dished out three assists a game for Juneau last year, earning his second straight Alaska Player of the Year award. Boozer was also named a McDonald's All-American and voted to the Parade All-America first team.
Cragg said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was at the beach on vacation with his family when Boozer was injured, and Krzyzewski is cutting his vacation short so he can be with Boozer during his surgery.
"He wants to be there for when the surgery is over," Cragg said.
Renee Boozer, Carlos Jr.'s mother, said she and Carlos Sr. have spoken several times with their son since the injury. She also said the family received calls from Krzyzewski and his wife, Engelhardt and two team doctors, all letting them know not to worry.
"His first priority is getting healthy," Renee Boozer said. "I just hung up with him (Carlos Jr.) and he was in very good spirits."
Carlos Sr. said this is the first real injury of his son's career. He said his son hasn't let the injury get him down.
"He was cracking jokes and smiling, and being Carlos Jr.," Carlos Sr. said. "He wants to do well. Duke's got a great squad, with six or seven all-Americans, so they'll miss Carlos, but not that much."
After the screw is inserted into his foot, Carlos Jr. is expected to be in a walking cast for three or four weeks, Carlos Sr. said. After that, Carlos Jr. will begin a rehabilitation program designed to rebuild the strength of his foot.
"How fast he heals depends on how fast he's able to put pressure on the foot," Carlos Sr. said. "This kind of injury heals a lot faster when there's no pressure placed on it. They put a (permanent) screw into his little toe with a local anesthetic, and this supposedly makes the foot stronger. They did this with Elton Brand and a couple of other players, and none of them have reinjured themselves. Elton Brand was the first pick in the draft (by the Chicago Bulls), so it must not be too bad."
Duke's first official basketball practice is on Oct. 16, and the Blue Devils play their first game Nov. 11 against Stanford in the first round of the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
