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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — ESPN analyst Jay Williams plopped down next to D'Mitrik Trice and initiated a conversation with the injured Wisconsin point guard during Friday's shootaround at Rutgers.
"I never met him before," Trice said. "But I obviously knew who he is and his background."
Williams, a New Jersey native, was the shooting guard on the 2001 NCAA championship team at Duke and the College Player of the Year in 2002 after winning the Wooden and Naismith Award.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Williams was also the second overall pick in the NBA draft behind Yao Ming. But a near-fatal motorcycle injury cut short his pro career with the Chicago Bulls.
"He talked to me like a normal person," Trice related. "He was just telling what he sees. He thought I was starting to get into a groove before my injury. It was good to hear those things."
Trice has missed the last seven games (including tonight's at Nebraska) after fracturing the fifth metatarsal bone on the side of his right foot. The injury was discovered after Trice injured his toe in the Dec. 6 game at Temple.
"Around the 10-minute mark of the second half, I noticed my toe was hurting to even run up and down the court," Trice remembered. "I don't know if I jammed it or someone stepped on it."
X-rays were taken the following day and Trice was informed of the fracture.
"I was shocked because I was asymptomatic," said Trice, a 6-foot, 177-pound sophomore from Huber Heights, Ohio. "I had no pain, I didn't even know it was there.
"But I'm glad they found it early because they said in the next month or so it was probably going to break all the way and I would have been done for the season."
Trice listened to his medical options from UW athletic trainer Henry Perez-Guerra and discussed the best course of action with his father, Travis, who was his coach at Wayne High School in Ohio.
"My dad thought surgery was the best way to go and I could be back healthy and not have to worry about it again," he said. "I was just trying to figure out how long I would be out."
Trice had one goal: "To get back playing as quickly as I could to help this team in any way." But he knew that he would have to be patient and smart about his rehab after having the surgery.
"I'm of the mindset of taking it slow," he said, "because I know this is a serious injury for basketball players. I just need to take it day-by-day and come back when I feel ready and confident."
Trice is under the impression he may begin some pool workouts (underwater tread mill) this week. He's hesitant about issuing a timeline, but he's optimistic about returning to practice in January.
Until then, he will have to be content with rooting on his teammates.
"Sitting and watching has been tough," Trice said. "As a player, you want to be on the court."
Trice was averaging a team-high 31.5 minutes. He's still the third-leading scorer (9.4 points).
"I'm coming along really well and I feel like I'm getting stronger and better," he said. "But going from playing a lot to not playing at all and watching everybody else has been a learning experience."
Not long after Trice's injury was diagnosed following the Temple game, the Badgers lost freshman wing Kobe King to a season-ending knee injury. He had surgery the same day as Trice.
King will apply for a medical hardship waiver to retain his year of eligibility.
"It has been a really good bonding experience, because I wasn't as close with Kobe as I would have liked," Trice said. "We've gotten a lot closer now with all the rehab time together."
Trice has been grateful for the support that he has received starting with his family. Along with his dad, his mom Julie came to Madison and cooked for him, including his favorite pot roast.
His older brother, Travis, called from Australia where he's playing for the Brisbane Bullets, a professional team in the National Basketball League.
"He has been in my corner as well," D'Mitrik said. "I get a lot of strength from him. He's a tough guy and I've tried to incorporate that into my life."
Michigan State's Tom Izzo, who coached Travis Trice in East Lansing, phoned D'Mitrik and offered some encouraging words.
"It was just about sticking with it (the rehab)," D'Mitrik said.
One of Izzo's current players, Kyle Ahrens, is also rehabbing from a foot injury.
"Kyle is from Ohio (Versailles) and I grew up playing with him and against him and he texted me," said Trice, who also heard from former Ohio State assistant Greg Paulus, now at Louisville.
"I've known him (Paulus) for awhile," he said.
In addition, the Buckeyes first-year head coach Chris Holtmann called Trice. Holtmann, who replaced Thad Matta, is a family friend who had coached at Butler where Travis Sr. played two years.
"It made me feel really good," D'Mitrik Trice said, "to see other coaches in the Big Ten take time out of their day to call me and say, 'We're thinking of you.'"
Meanwhile, Trice has been thinking of only one thing: how to put his time to good use until he can be a contributing member in games again.
"It has been good for me to sit back as a spectator," he said, "and see how things are developing on the floor and then talk to the guys when they're on the sidelines and tell them what I'm seeing."
Trice has been watching NBA videos, too, most notably Houston's Chris Paul. "There may be some things that I see," he said, "that might elevate my game when I come back."
There is one area where he's hoping to impact the team. "I think I can play a bigger, more vocal leadership role, on and off the court," said Trice who confessed with a sigh, "It's so hard to watch."
