Notre Dame To Proceed With Caution On Bonzie Colson Injury
Overshadowed amid the celebration of Notre Dame’s 88-58 victory versus North Carolina State on Wednesday night for head coach Mike Brey’s school record 394th win in men's basketball was a reality that looms: Senior All-American forward Bonzie Colson will be sidelined at least eight weeks after undergoing surgery this week on his foot.
The injury occurred during last Friday’s practice while preparing for the Georgia Tech opener the next day. At the time, there was no contact or any conspicuous evidence that Colson had incurred a significant injury. After taking a couple of Motrin, Colson led the 68-59 victory against the Yellow Jackets the next day with 22 points and 17 rebounds to boost his scoring average to 21.4 points and rebounds to 10.4 per contest..
“Little did we know it was on a broken foot,” Brey said.
Sunday is when the discomfort for Colson began to emerge, but when two days rest were given and the pain never subsided, the X-rays on Tuesday revealed the need to put a screw into the foot of one of the eight players in the program’s history to score at least 1,500 points and grab a minimum 800 rebounds.
“I feel for him, I feel for college basketball,” Brey said. “Bonzie Colson is the most popular player in college basketball, and maybe the best. College basketball lost a great story and I’m hurting for him.”
The eight-week projection would put Colson right at the end of February as a target time for at least returning to practice and getting into a rhythm, but there are other circumstances of which Brey is mindful.
“The one thing I told him and his father — we will never rush this guy back,” Brey said. “I’m very sensitive to his NBA auditions and being fresh and healthy for those. If he doesn’t come back, he doesn’t come back. We’ll play that by ear and see how it goes.
“He’s always had doubters (about an NBA future), so he’s got to be healthy and good to do that.”
The one exception will be when the Irish host Pitt on Feb. 28, the program’s “Senior Night.” That also falls in line on when Colson might be cleared to begin some workouts.
“He’s going to be in the starting lineup on Senior Night,” Brey said. “We may have to foul or call time out [right after the opening tap to take him out], but he will be introduced in this building. I don’t know if he can play.”
Brey said he and the medical personnel are strictly going to adhere to the eight-week minimum rehabilitation.
“If he was playing on grass or turf, it probably would be six [weeks],” Brey said. “Playing on a hard surface, eight, and nothing before that.”
For the Irish head coach, the best-case scenario is getting Colson back for practice in preparation for the ACC Tournament March 6-10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which has been an outstanding venue for the squad.
In March 2016 the Irish won two games there en route to eventually reaching the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, and then eight months later won the Legends Classic in the same arena by defeating Colorado and Northwestern.
Last March there in the ACC Tournament the Irish finally ended a long losing streak to Virginia with a 71-58 win and then toppled No. 2-seed Florida State, 77-73, before falling in the championship on a late rally by Duke (75-69), preventing a second Notre Dame ACC title in three years.
One way or another, Colson will make his presence felt on this year’s team.
“I thought his leadership and voice were great tonight,” said Brey after the win over the Wolfpack. “He was really helping those guys on the bench and he had great things to say at halftime.”
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