By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas power forward Marshawn Powell will be sidelined seven to eight weeks after breaking a bone in his left foot during a pickup basketball game in Virginia.
However, Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was at ease late Tuesday afternoon because the injury will not affect the sophomore’s season and shouldn’t be a “big issue.”
“Unfortunately for athletes, injuries are a part of it,” Pelphrey said. “When I heard it the other day I wasn’t too alarmed because of the timing of it.
“We’ve got plenty of time before practice starts.”
The Razorbacks announced details of the injury and the timeline for Powell’s return a day after it became public knowledge. Powell revealed the injury on Facebook late Sunday with a message that said he “broke” his foot.
Pelphrey added a few more details Tuesday, saying the injury occurred when someone landed on Powell’s foot while playing in a pickup game last Friday. Pelphrey was in contact with Powell, who had his foot examined at an emergency room in Virginia. He boarded a flight to Arkansas on Monday and was examined by team doctors Tuesday.
Pelphrey said he didn’t have a problem with Powell playing pickup ball in Virginia. He called Powell someone who “loves to play” and is “going to find a court.”
“It’s a Catch-22,” said Pelphrey, who added that Powell was home in between school semesters. “It’s not like somebody undercut him. It wasn’t anything like that. He was just playing ball and sometimes you get around people and they come down on your foot or whatever and that’s what happens. It can happen during the season.
“What are you going to do? He could get hurt just as well practicing or playing with our guys.”
Pelphrey said he’d much rather have his players on the court than off it during the offseason.
“It’s one of those things as a coach, you know it’s a possibility,” Pelphrey said. “If he was sitting around all summer not trying to get better, well, we’ve seen how that works too.”
The broken bone will not require surgery, but Pelphrey said Powell won’t be able to put any weight on it for about three weeks. He will, however, be able to do upper body work in the weight room.
If the two-month timeline for Powell’s recovery holds true, it is good news for Pelphrey and the Razorbacks. Arkansas is counting on Powell, who averaged 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds as a freshman, to play a big role in a frontcourt facing questions about its depth.
Pelphrey also was optimistic because it’s not the first time Powell has suffered an offseason injury. He broke his hand last summer, but worked diligently to get healthy.
Pelphrey said Powell was “disappointed” when he suffered the latest setback last week. But Powell was in good spirits after being told he wouldn’t miss time this fall.
“It’s not ideal,” Pelphrey said. “But we’ll get him back.”
