October 27, 1998
Stone's status a 'sore' point
College basketball:L.B. State forward rehabs foot, but is there enough time?
By GORDON VERRELL
Staff writer Long Beach Press Telegram
Even as a mere freshman, Grant Stone showed up everywhere on the floor last season for Long Beach State's men's basketball team, and it could be he'll wind up someplace else this season: on the bench.
A week ago, he began rehab from off-season foot surgery, and, depending on how well he mends, this might end up being a medical redshirt season.
"Me, personally, that's the last thing I want to do," Stone said. "These next four weeks will determine whether I'm playing this season."
The surgery, to remove the accessory navicular bone in his left foot, was performed on June 10, more than three months after he sustained the injury, in Long Beach State's one and only game in the Big West Conference tournament at Reno, Nev., on March 6. Initial X-rays did not disclose a fracture, or a need for surgery. Finally, Stone had his personal physician back home in Tulsa, Okla., Dr. James Mayoza, take a look, and it was quickly determined to best way to repair the bone was to remove it.
"He said it would be 16 to 20 weeks before it was fully healed," Stone said. "I'm my 19th week right now. So he was right on.
"Right now," Stone added, "it's still pretty sore. But it has nothing to do with the operation - that went fine, it was perfect. It's just that I haven't been able to do anything to strengthen the foot. And . . . "
Yes?
" . . . and I've gained about 20 pounds. I'm about 240 now, about 10 pounds more than I want to weigh.
"But, all I did all summer was lift weights and eat."
And hobble around on crutches. He didn't get the cast removed until Aug. 19.
Stone has a target date: Nov. 28, when the 49ers play at San Diego State in their fifth game of the season.
If the foot has sufficiently strengthened, and he's regained his mobility, fine. If not, it's wait'll next year.
(If a player performs in fewer than 20 percent of his team's games because of injury, he's eligible for a medical redshirt season. In the 49ers' case, that's five games).
For now, Stone is limited to riding a stationary bike, aerobics and walking, about two miles a day. That may be swell exercise for most of us, but hardly enough for a Division I basketball player.
"I sit around now and watch the guys," Stone said, wistfully, "and see the kind of talent we've got. I don't want to miss out. I'd hate to go from playing 20 minutes a game to sitting out.
"But," he added, being realistic, "I don't want to be up and down, either."
That would be a fair description of Stone's first season with the 49ers. He played in 29 games, starting all but one.
He ended up leading the 49ers in two categories: most personal fouls, 106 - 13 more than anyone else - and most games fouled out, nine.
One reason: Stone was just a freshman, less than a year removed from high school, still learning the ropes. A better reason: halfway through the first game he played in Division I, Stone, a 6-8 forward, found himself playing center - and against a 7-footer.
That's because 6-10 Ian Milley, another freshman, who was starting at center until 7-1 Andy Betts gained his eligibility, broke his finger in that first game. So, for eight games, Stone was the center.
That first game Stone scored 13 points, a nice enough Division I debut. He ended up averaging 5.2 points and five rebounds a game.
And he averaged a shade under 27 minutes a game, which, as he said, makes it tough not being in the 49ers' immediate future.
"I've really looked forward to competing this season," Stone said. "I'd be in there against Richie (Smalls, a newcomer from the Bronx), and Mate (Milisa, who's 6-11, from Croatia), and Ian . . . and Jared (Frey, who played mostly when Stone got into foul trouble) has really been looking good.
"I can bring something to the team, and I hope I'm in there. I can feel the strength coming back to the foot, it's just taking a lot of time, a lot of work. We've got some terrific talent, it's a matter of putting it together . . . and, like I said, I hope I'm part of it."