Ankle sprain keeps local star Platt on Oregon sideline

Adam Candee

Monday, Dec. 22, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

Sitting beside the court and watching his Oregon teammates practice Friday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center, Mitch Platt talked about what he cannot stand: Sitting and watching.

"I'm not used to sitting too much," Platt said. "When a big games comes and goes like that, it's hard to watch."

Platt, a Green Valley High graduate in 2003, is not sitting out because of his play -- far from it, in fact. Instead, it is because of a high ankle sprain that came in the Dec. 6 against Marshall, the third straight game in which Platt started in his first college season. The Ducks also could have used Platt in their 87-86 loss to Alabama on Saturday in the Las Vegas Showdown.

The big game Platt spoke about is Oregon's 77-67 loss to No. 6 Kansas. If not for the ankle injury that will keep him out of action until at least Jan. 2 against USC, he would have been starting against the Jayhawks just 10 months after his final game as a Gator.

That's not too shabby for a kid who had to bust his tail two summers ago just to improve his chances of getting a scholarship from a power such as Oregon.

"I couldn't ask for anything better," Platt said. "I'm having a great time. I haven't thought about my decision twice."

Platt averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over Oregon's first three contests. More important, he averaged more than 23 minutes per game as part of coach Ernie Kent's cadre of talented big men that includes preseason All-American Luke Jackson.

"(Mitch) has made the adjustment very well," Kent said. "He is very mature for his age. He came in with a workmanlike attitude that allowed him to have success."

Platt had no idea he had worked his way into the starting lineup until he noticed himself practicing on the same unit with Jackson and senior guard Andre Joseph in the preseason.

"I wasn't even thinking about it," Platt said of starting.

Kent will give Platt an opportunity to reclaim his spot in the Ducks' rotation, but the coach wants to make sure Platt's conditioning is in order first.

"If you say he comes back like he was when he left, it wouldn't be a problem," Kent said.

Platt is having no trouble adjusting to college life in Eugene, Ore., either. He said he does all the same things that he would in Las Vegas, and Platt also enjoys the buzz around his team.

"The community support up in Eugene is amazing compared to here," Platt said. "There's almost too much to do in Vegas. In Eugene, it's the big show in town."

As such, the effort and planning that goes into every game is more than in high school, Platt feels.

"It's way more intense," Platt said. "You spend so much time preparing for games. The one thing that is the biggest difference is preparing for games."

An All-State first-team selection in 2002-03, Platt led Green Valley to the Southeast Division championship. The Gators lost to Valley in the Sunrise Region semifinals, missing out on a state playoff berth.