Document text
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure By Don Hunt Mail Tribune As Eric Fiegi got pushed from behind in a game against Klamath Union on Feb. 12, his left ankle buckled and popped. The standout basketball player from South Medford High crumpled to the court in pain. "I thought my season was over," Fiegi says. "I thought I was done." But thanks to the Ankle Stabilizing Orthosis brace, Fiegi suffered only a mild sprain. And the 6-foot-9, 240-pound senior center will be close to full strength when the Panthers open play in the Class 4A state tournament tonight (8:45) in Portland against Benson Tech. The brace, commonly known as the ASO, is worn by most of the Panther players as a preventative measure. Had one not been tightly strapped to Fiegi's ankle on that cold February night in Klamath Falls three weeks ago tonight, he might have missed the state tournament. "I actually think I might have broken my ankle without that brace," Fiegi says, "or at least messed it up really bad. I'm convinced the brace saved me." The ASO braces lace up the front and have two Velcro straps that wrap around the foot, mimicking a tape job. Physical therapist Steve Zerkel, who sells the braces at his Medford Sports Injury and Therapy Center in Medford for $40 - less if they're purchased in bulk - believes they're just as effective as tape jobs. "And you don't have to wait for the trainer to tape you up, Zerkel says. "You just strap it on and go." South Medford coach Dennis Murphy asks all of his players to wear them, and most do. "At some point in the season there's a good chance you're going to sprain your ankle," Murphy says. "And if you're not taped up or wearing the brace and you sprain it severely, then you're going to be out at least a month. "It's a pretty cheap investment compared to what the loss can be." Basketball shoes on the market these days rarely cover or protect the entire ankle. High tops are a thing of the past. To many young players, it's all about fashion. Despite pleas from Murphy, Fiegi declined to wear any protection at the start of last season. But once he sprained his right ankle in a preseason game and had to sit out two games, he bought ASO braces for each leg and has been wearing them ever since. "I told Fiegi at the start of last season that if he ever sprained his ankle to just keep laying there because I wasn't coming out to help him," says Murphy, tongue in cheek. Fiegi estimates his ankle is 90 percent healed as the tournament unfolds. "I can run on it and jump on it fine but it still hurts a little to plant on it hard," Fiegi says. Without the ankle brace, Fiegi might be a spectator this week, crippling his team's hopes for a state championship. � ADD SOUTH MEDFORD'S Ryan Heil to the list of players headed to the Les Schwab Oregon Bowl, the all-star football game matching the top Class 4A players in the state. Heil, who earned first-team honors in the Southern Oregon Conference last fall despite a two-year layoff from football, was named as a wide receiver on the South squad. Heil missed out on the state playoffs last season when South Medford lost a coin flip after finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the Southern Oregon Conference. "This is my state playoff trip to Portland for football," says Heil, who is the starting point guard on South Medford's basketball team. "I'm really looking forward to being around all those good players." Heil is being recruited by a number of NAIA and Division II schools for both football and basketball, but is seriously considering walking on in football at Oregon State. "It's been a dream of mine to play at the Division I level since I was a little kid," Heil says. "They (Oregon State) have a good reputation for giving their walk-on players scholarships. "If I go there, I'll redshirt and see if I can put on 15 or 20 pounds." � VETERAN SUNSET HIGH basketball coach Ken Harris couldn't help but marvel at Heater-Neumann Memorial Gym, the venue for Grants Pass High basketball games. Harris' team had just suffered a 54-51 subtournament playoff loss to the Cavemen on Saturday night, but Harris managed a smile as he glanced around the 31/2-year-old gym, which only minutes before had been packed with 1,800 fans. "This is the nicest (high school) gym in the state of Oregon," said Harris, who has journeyed to more than his share of venues since he launched his coaching career in 1960. "It kind of reminds me of that gym you see in (the movie) "Hoosiers," except that it's new." Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.