Broken right foot shelves Kelly again

Steve Addy

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000 | 9:36 a.m.

Who: UNLV vs. Northern Arizona

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

TV: None

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

Only four days before UNLV's basketball opener, Lou Kelly has caught another bad break.

After missing the last 2 1/2 months of last season with a broken right foot, Kelly will be out for at least six weeks because of a new stress fracture in the same foot.

A bone scan Monday revealed a fracture of Kelly's third metatarsal, an injury unrelated to his previous break of the fifth metatarsal, the injury that has dogged the 6-foot-5 small forward since his first week as a Rebel last January.

Surgery will not be required, but trainer Dave Tomchek said Kelly is unlikely to return until at least Jan. 1, about 10 games into the season. The Rebels' opener is Friday night against Northern Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"A break is a break, but this one isn't as severe as the other one," Tomchek said Monday. "The third metatarsal doesn't absorb as much weight as the fifth, and this should heal much faster. We detected it early. But Lou has no recollection of how he hurt it."

Kelly, who was in the running for a starting job, developed pain in the foot after Friday's exhibition victory over the L.A. Stars. His foot stiffened and swelled over the weekend, so tests were ordered. The news wasn't good.

Attempts to reach Kelly for comment Monday were not successful.

"Lou is so intelligent, so even-tempered, and he's taking this as well as you could expect a player," Tomchek said. "He has overcome a lot in terms of his enrollment and his health. Now he's going to do it again. He wants to prove to himself and everyone involved that he can be a great player here.

"He was probably in 90-percent game shape before this happened. After two or three games, he would've been there."

Before Kelly can resume his playing career, which amounted to 23 minutes last season, he will undergo a month of non-weight bearing rehab like swimming, stationary bike and upper body exercise. His foot won't be put in a cast. The target date to resume light running is Dec. 15.

Though Tomchek said Kelly's foot injuries weren't caused by each other, his earlier fracture took a lot longer to heal than the Rebels had anticipated.

When Kelly broke his fifth metatarsal last Jan. 17 in his second game (at New Mexico), the team opted for rehab over surgery, hoping he could return late in the season. But the fracture didn't fully heal, so Kelly underwent surgery in late May.

He finally resumed running in October, but was still trying to get back his conditioning.

Now the junior from San Bernadino, Calif., faces another half-season of watching the Rebels from the sidelines.

Kelly's injury makes it virtually certain that Danny Brotherson will be the starting small forward.