Two years away from the basketball court, and Arizona’s Ray Smith has already turned into something of a part-doctor. A part-athletic trainer. Part-psychologist.
And maybe even part-coach.
“I feel like I’m a lot of people right now,” Smith said.
That much was clear Thursday, when the Wildcats’ redshirt freshman forward discussed his two ACL rehabilitations at Arizona’s annual preseason media day.
It was also clear in how Smith has already helped graduate transfer forward Talbott Denny deal with his recently torn ACL, which will keep the Lipscomb transfer out this season.
“It’s definitely kind of made me feel a little better,” Denny said. “Because in the beginning I was just thinking, ‘Man, ACL’s like a death wish for a basketball player.’ At least having somebody talk you through it with his experience is kind of nice.”
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Smith flew home to Las Vegas on Thursday night to be examined by his hometown doctor. If he gets the OK, Smith will join the Wildcats fully when they open full-length preseason practices on Sunday.
Here was Smith on psychology:
“A lot of mental problems with ACL tears is that people don’t trust their leg and what they tend to do is baby it, and they’ll hurt themselves,” said Smith, who tore his second ACL in practice 11 months ago. “I’ve done things so hard that just being on the court is not even the scariest thing. It’s not one bit of scary.”
Smith on the science of ACL tears:
“It could have been just plan genetics,” Smith said of his own injuries, then later added: “When you tear one ACL, your body naturally favors a leg, so when you put all your pressure on the opposite leg and bang, you (hurt) it just like that. It’s crazy.”
And Smith on coaching, or what he learned about it while sitting on the bench the past two seasons:
“Being able to see the game at a level that many freshmen don’t get to see ... (shows) how important the little things are,” Smith said. “There’s things I have to work on, but there’s a sense of defensive schemes and tasks I feel like I have that in my back pocket just because of what I’ve been watching all year. For the most part, there aren’t any things coach (Sean) Miller has to get on me about.”
That’s already been the case. Miller said again Thursday that Smith has done “everything we’ve asked of him” in rehabilitating the knees, both when Smith was rehabbing the first one in Las Vegas as a UA signee and last season when he dealt with the second one at the UA.
He’s strengthened his legs. Strengthened his upper body. Gone through offseason skills training. Run the team mile race. And prepared for the much different responsibilities of small and power forward that he’ll have this season.
There’s only been one difference between Smith and his coaches.
“I think there’s almost a tug-of-war right now,” Miller said, “with us holding him back some and clearly Ray wants to be treated like everyone else.”
On that one, Smith has no choice. He’s already been cleared for and participated in some five-on-five drills — Miller said this weekend’s doctor visit is part of a “procedural” approach — but coaches have kept him from some drills and will continue to do so.
“He’s like everybody else, but we’re going to be well aware of when he gets fatigued,” Miller said. “That’s when he’s at the most risk early on, and we’ll pull him. Sometimes his practice days will be shorter.”
In other words, nobody wants to see it happen again. But Smith didn’t sound like the sort of guy who was worried about that.
He didn’t get there immediately, though. Smith said his first dunk attempt a few months ago “felt like a struggle,” and disagreed when it was suggested his confidence never left him.
“That’s actually funny,” he said. “My confidence definitely left me. These last three, four months have been tough for me. Being a confident kid and coming back (but) can’t make a 15-foot jumper or can’t really dunk, you know what I mean?
“But I’ve really gotten a boost of confidence over the last two weeks. I’m turning into my old self, I feel.”
Now, Smith said he can “get up and dunk, plant, twist, turn” without thinking about it, and he found Thursday his athleticism may be all the way back too: Smith said he recorded a 40-inch running vertical jump, the exact height he reached a year ago.
Though it’s early, Smith is on track to become one of the still relatively rare high-level athletes to return fully from two ACL tears.
Of course, in all that study time he’s had over the past few years, Smith has learned of athletes who have returned from ACL tears, sometimes even two.
“I wouldn’t say it’s motivation, but it’s a sense of ‘I’m happy for them, I’m happy they got through it,’” Smith said. “Now it’s my turn.”
Rim shots
- Freshman Kobi Simmons led the Wildcats in the vertical leap by hitting 45 inches, just two shy of Nick Johnson’s Miller-era record. “I hadn’t done it in a while, but I think some of the team knew” it could happen, Simmons said.
- Denny said he intends to play next season, if he receives an expected waiver for a sixth year of eligibility after missing last season at Lipscomb with a torn labrum and this season with a torn ACL. “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m here for another year anyhow,” said Denny, who is pursuing a master’s degree in management.
