Sports editor It was picture perfect. Head Coach Larry Wright is having his best campaign in his coaching career at Grambling, and Wright’s own prospect Brion Rush is having the best season of his life. That picture was slightly shattered when Rush went down with a foot injury. The G-Men are in second place and have a playoff berth in the SWAC Tournament.
The G-Men also reached first place for the first time since 1989 when they defeated Southern on Feb. 4. Ever since, the G-Men have been in quite a funk. The G-Men then lost to the eighth worst team in the SWAC, Alcorn, 71-75. The G-Men then easily won against Texas Southern, the ninth worst team in the SWAC, 80-68. However, the G-Men allowed Prairie View to gain their only win of the season in the next game, losing 68-72.
Nevertheless, the G-Men are poised to wreak havoc in the SWAC tournament, after a comeback win against Jackson State, the fourth best team in the league. However, they lost one of their key players.
Without Rush, it will be tough for the G-Men to make a push for a SWAC Championship, something that hasn’t been done in over a decade. Rush is such an important factor to the G-Men’s offense, as he has led 17 games in scoring for the G-Men. As the status of Rush’s foot injury will change after the swelling goes down, one thing’s for certain: he’s out for the rest of the season.
“The doctor said he needs to rest it for a week or two – and by then the tournament is pretty much over,” Wright told The News-Star.
Rush has a break of the fifth metatarsal, his little toe. According to footphysicians.com, the best way to heal a metatarsal fracture is resting the foot, being put on crutches or placed in a wheelchair, immobilization, surgery, and/or follow-up care. If not treated properly, consequences could include arthritis, a deformity in the foot, chronic pain and long-term dysfunction, and/or a failure to heal.
Due to these health reasons, Wright understands it’s best not to force a healing.
“What we don’t want to do is jeopardize Brion’s health,” said Wright in the Feb. 22nd edition of The News-Star. “We appreciate what he has done for us here at Grambling, but he could have played his last game for us.”