One of Gamecocks’ top players could return from injury soon. The plan for him
South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin broke out an odd mantra when the subject of Justin Minaya’s injury came up.
“When it comes to injuries, you’re either pregnant or you’re not,” Martin said.
The meaning for the 6-foot-6 combo forward: if he’s cleared and ready to go, he’ll be set to go ASAP.
Minaya has missed the past eight games and will miss Tuesday’s tilt with Mississippi State. On Wednesday, he gets a cast off following surgery on a ligament in his thumb. And Martin won’t mess with minute restrictions or anything else.
“I would think that he’s either going to be cleared to give it a go, or he (will) be told you’re not ready,” Martin said.
“Either they can go, or they can’t. If they can go, what I do understand is that when he does get cleared, and if it happens this week, what would it be? Wednesday. That there’s some kind of cast they can put on it. And if that’s the way it works, I mean, then he’s ready and clear to go. That’s the way I look at it. That’s the way it has been explained to me.”
If he could go quickly, it would bring Minaya back for the regular season finale at Vanderbilt, the SEC tournament and whatever happens after that.
Minaya is the team’s top player in terms of minutes per game and its second-leading rebounder. He is a versatile defender who allows the Gamecocks to go a little smaller with three guards but not sacrifice boards or even rim protection. For the year, he’s averaging 7.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, although his shooting numbers had dipped from his last healthy season.
What kind of player he is after a few weeks off the court and not shooting will be a question if he comes back at all, but the Gamecocks are close to the next step with one of the key players.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 1:45 PM.
